Giovanni Grevenbroeck (Olanda 1650 - Milano 1699)

Giovanni Grevenbroeck, known as il Solfarolo (Netherlands, c. 1650 – Milan, post 1699) Port view at dawn Oil on canvas (70 x 132 cm - Framed 86 x 146 cm) Critical apparatus: Expertise by Emilio Negro. LINK (here) We are pleased to present this pleasant coastal view at dawn illuminated by the rising sun through the clouds, set in a fanciful port with an almost surreal atmosphere, made fascinating by the use of almost monochrome colors with a characteristic predominantly brown tone softened by rosy reflections. The seascape is organized on the skillful combination of realistic data with others of pure fantasy, and thus 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 the 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 the realistic vision with details resulting from their imagination. All these elements - combined with the unmistakable clouds with typical atmospheric, chromatic and luminous values ??- allow us to connect our painting to the pictorial corpus of Giovanni Grevenbroeck (Netherlands, c. 1650 – Milan, post 1699), the founder of the family of painters originating from the Netherlands. The painting expresses all the stylistic and pictorial characteristics of his works, in one of the subjects preferred by his famous workshop: the scene set in a fantastic port is the most typical of his repertoire, always halfway between figurative description and caprice. After his apprenticeship in Flanders, Giovanni Grevenbroeck arrived in Italy, precisely in Rome, receiving numerous commissions from the great noble families, such as the Colonna. However, the Roman stay was a brief parenthesis in his career, which took place largely in Milan, from 1672, where he spent most of his life painting landscapes and seascapes at dawn and sunset with great success, noted in the inventories of the most important local collections of the time. His numerous compositions evoke, as also happens in the canvas under examination, also the qualities of the seventeenth-century Roman landscape, enlivened both by the northern European examples of Claude Lorrain and by the central Italian ones of Salvator Rosa, with the particularity of rendering his port views as flaming views that entrust the luminous component with the task of highlighting the naturalistic details with its typical atmospheric intonations. To be convinced of the attribution, it will therefore be sufficient to compare the canvas with most of his pictorial corpus, in particular the seascapes at dawn and sunset of Chateauroux (Musée Bertrand) or, even more so, the Sea Ports of Alençon (Musée des Beaux-arts et de la Dentelle), works sometimes attributed to one or the other of his sons, but traceable to Giovanni thanks to the most recent in-depth studies of the prolific operativity of this active family of seventeenth-century vedutists. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The work is completed by an antique frame and is sold with a certificate of authenticity and guarantee. We take care of and organize the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. It is also possible to see the painting in the 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