Augusto Gheduzzi – Oil painting on canvas “Female nude in the sculptor’s studio, dated 1924”

Elegant oil painting on canvas by the Italian painter Augusto Gheduzzi (1883–1969), signed and dated 1924 lower left, belonging to the happiest period of his figurative production. The work depicts a young, completely nude model inside a sculptor’s studio. The woman, caught in the natural act of gathering her hair, is set in an environment rich in suggestion: large classical statues, monumental drapery, work tables, and light coming from the large windows create a composition of remarkable balance and depth. More than a simple study from life, the painting represents a reflection on the dialogue between painting and sculpture, between the vitality of the human body and the monumentality of classical form. The brushwork is sure and spontaneous, and the chromatic range of ochres, grays, and earth tones gives the work an intimate and reflective atmosphere. For its executive quality, subject matter, and state of preservation, this painting represents one of the most interesting testimonies of Augusto Gheduzzi’s figurative production, an artist belonging to one of the most renowned families of painters active between Bologna and Turin in the first half of the twentieth century. Son of the painter and set designer Ugo Gheduzzi, Augusto trained at the Albertina Academy in Turin and collaborated from a young age on the stage designs of the Teatro Regio. His production includes landscapes, portraits, genre scenes, and figures, distinguishing himself for his rigorous perspective structure and luminous sensitivity. 47 x 33 cm without frame 57 x 43 cm including frame