Leonardo Roda (1868 - 1933)
Mountain View
oil on canvas. 49 x 65
signed lower right
The work on display represents a masterful mountain view that fully embodies Leonardo Roda's poetics. The composition is structured on a skillful division of perspective planes that guide the viewer's eye from the foreground, characterized by alpine vegetation rendered with vibrant and material brushstrokes, towards the grandeur of the snow-capped peaks dominating the background.
The artist demonstrates extraordinary sensitivity in capturing the "play of light and shadow on the rocky walls," using a color palette that ranges from the deep greens of the valleys to the blinding whites and clear blues of the glaciers.
Leonardo Roda (Racconigi, 1868 – Turin, 1933) was one of the most significant interpreters of Piedmontese landscape painting between the 19th and 20th centuries. Born in the province of Cuneo, Roda developed his talent through a predominantly self-taught vocation. However, his period spent in Turin at the studio of Marco Calderini (1850–1941) was fundamental to his technical and stylistic maturation. Under the guidance of Calderini, a renowned artist and critic, Roda refined a painting style aimed at celebrating the serenity and grandeur of nature, moving away from mere descriptiveness to achieve an emotional rendering of the landscape.
His career is inextricably linked to the representation of alpine peaks and rural scenes. A passionate mountaineer and botanist, Roda did not limit himself to observing the mountains from the valley floor but lived them directly. This visceral connection is evident in his numerous stays in Valtournanche, in the Aosta Valley. Here, the painter found his favorite muse in the Matterhorn, portraying it in countless versions, capturing every minute variation of light, season, and time of day, easily moving from large celebratory canvases to sketches executed "en plein air," characterized by a fresh and modern execution.
In addition to his love for the heights, Roda was fascinated by the Ligurian Riviera. Thanks to his friendship with the writer Edmondo De Amicis, he frequently traveled between Liguria and the French Riviera, often staying in Bordighera and leaving behind pictorial testimonies of rare beauty of the coastlines between Celle and Albisola.
His presence in major Italian exhibitions, from Milan to Florence, including the historic exhibitions of the Società Promotrice delle Belle Arti in Turin and the Circolo degli Artisti (until 1925) – consolidated his fame among the public and critics of the time. Today, his works are preserved in prestigious institutions, including the Cariplo Foundation (which holds the famous "Preludio d’Inverno") and the Gaffoglio Museum in Rapallo, testifying to an artistic legacy that continues to be celebrated for its ability to combine technical tradition and modern sensibility. Roda passed away in Turin in 1933, leaving a void in the landscape painting of Italy.
