Moonlit Port View, Giovanni Grevenbroeck, il Solfarolo (Netherlands, c. 1650 – Milan, after 1699)

Giovanni Grevenbroeck, known as il Solfarolo (Netherlands, c. 1650 – Milan, after 1699) Moonlit Port View Oil on canvas (70 x 132 cm - Framed 86 x 146 cm.) Critical apparatus: Expertise by Emilio Negro DETAILS (link) We are pleased to present this pleasant nocturnal coastal view illuminated by the cold moonlight, set in a fantastic port with an almost surreal atmosphere, made fascinating by the use of almost monochromatic hues with a characteristic prevailing brown tone softened by golden reflections. The seascape is organized on a skillful juxtaposition of realistic data with others of pure fantasy, and therefore is characterized by steep heights, imaginary constructions, numerous boats, and the presence of many characters engaged in their activities. This compositional choice echoes the works of numerous Northern European artists active in Italy during the 17th century – from Pieter Mulier (il Cavalier Tempesta) to Adriaen van der Cabel, to name a couple – who spread an alternative to classicist vedutism, combining realistic vision with details from their imagination. All these elements – combined with the unmistakable clouds with their typical atmospheric, chromatic, and luministic values – allow us to connect our painting to the pictorial corpus of Giovanni Grevenbroeck (Netherlands, c. 1650 – Milan, after 1699), the progenitor of a family of painters originally from the Netherlands. The painting expresses all the stylistic and pictorial characteristics of his works, in one of the most favored subjects of his renowned workshop: the scene set in a fantastic port is the most typical of his repertoire, always halfway between figurative description and caprice. After completing his apprenticeship in Flanders, Giovanni Grevenbroeck arrived in Italy, specifically in Rome, receiving numerous commissions from great noble families, such as the Colonnas. However, his Roman sojourn was a brief parenthesis in his career, which largely unfolded in Milan, from 1672, where he spent much of his life painting highly successful landscapes and seascapes at dawn and dusk, noted in the inventories of the most important local art collections of the time. His numerous compositions evoke, as is also the case in the canvas under examination, the qualities of 17th-century Roman landscape painting, enlivened both by Northern European examples like Claude Lorrain and by Italian Central Italian ones like Salvator Rosa, with the peculiarity of rendering his port views as fiery vistas that entrust the luministic component with the task of highlighting naturalistic details with his typical atmospheric tones. To be convinced of the attribution, it will suffice to compare the canvas with the greater part of his pictorial corpus, particularly the dawn and dusk seascapes of Chateauroux (Musée Bertrand) or, even more so, the Seaports of Alençon (Musée des Beaux-arts et de la Dentelle), works sometimes attributed to one or the other of his sons, but attributable to Giovanni thanks to more recent in-depth studies of the prolific output of this active family of 17th-century view painters. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The work is completed by an antique frame and is sold with a certificate of authenticity and guarantee. We handle and organize the transport of purchased works, both within Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. It is also possible to view the painting in our gallery in Riva del Garda; we will be happy to welcome you to show you our collection of works. Contact us, without obligation, for any additional information. Follow us also on: INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco