Venetian School Artist, Architectural Capriccio, 1750, Oil on Canvas

Venetian school of the mid-18th century. Oil on canvas painting depicting an invented landscape composition of remarkable pictorial quality. On the right is a ruined building, probably an ancient temple, on the top of which some plants have sprouted. The imaginary ruins have columns and pilasters in composite Corinthian style and several fragments are lying on the ground. The scene is animated by lively figures. Some dressed in ancient style sit on the ruins, one is intent on smoking a long pipe. To their right are two other figures with an oriental turban headdress. In the distance is a verdant landscape with other small figures. A medieval crenellated tower is in ruins on a hill. The landscape disappears towards a mountain, dominated by a tormented sky, from whose clouds a suggestive ray of light filters. The representation of an imaginary place, also called an architectural capriccio, was often in use among Venetian painters and vedutisti of the eighteenth century. The canvas shows a derivation from themes present in the works of the Venetian Marco Ricci, nephew of the great painter Sebastiano, lacking authentication. Very inclined to the landscape theme, Marco Ricci preferred it and oriented himself towards it very early, recording influences from Titian, Tempesta, J. Eismann, with bright compositions rich in atmospheric effects. Particularly significant on him is the influence of Salvator Rosa and Alessandro Magnasco, who inspired him and from whom he took the technique of rapid and loose brushstrokes. Elegant 19th century frame in painted wood with fake tortoiseshell and gilded, with some signs of aging. Painting already restored with relining, replacement of the frame and repainting in some small points. Overall in excellent condition. Sight size H 94 x W 132 cm.