Giovanni Grevenbroeck (Olanda 1650 - Milano 1699)

Giovanni Grevenbroeck, known as "il Solfarolo" (Netherlands, ca. 1650 – Milan, after 1699) Moonlit Port View Oil on canvas (cm 70 x 132 - Framed 86 x 146 cm) Critical appraisals: Expertise by Emilio Negro DETAILS (link) We are pleased to present this pleasant nighttime coastal view illuminated by the cold moonlight, set in a fantastic port with an almost surreal atmosphere, made fascinating by the use of almost monochrome hues with a characteristic prevailing brown tone softened by golden reflections. The seascape is organized on the skillful combination of realistic details with others of pure fantasy, and is therefore characterized by steep heights, imaginary buildings, numerous boats and the presence of many characters engaged in their activities. This compositional choice echoes the works of the many northern European artists active in Italy during the 17th century - from Pieter Mulier (il Cavalier Tempesta) to Adriaen van der Cabel, just to name a couple - who spread an alternative to classicist vedutismo, combining realistic vision with details resulting from their imagination. All these elements - combined with the unmistakable clouds with typical atmospheric, chromatic and luminosity values - allow us to link our painting to the pictorial corpus of Giovanni Grevenbroeck (Netherlands, ca. 1650 – Milan, after 1699), founder of the family of painters originally 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, specifically in Rome, receiving numerous commissions from large noble families, such as the Colonna family. The Roman sojourn is however a brief parenthesis of his career, which will take place largely in Milan, from 1672, where he spent most of his life painting landscapes and marines at dawn and dusk of great success, reported in the inventories of the most important local collections of the period. His numerous compositions evoke, as also happens in the canvas in question, also the qualities of seventeenth-century Roman landscape painting, enlivened both by the northern European examples of Claude Lorrain and by the central Italian ones like Salvator Rosa, with the peculiarity of making his port views like flaming views that entrust to the luminous component the task of highlighting the naturalistic details with its typical atmospheric intonations. To be convinced of the attribution, it will therefore suffice to compare the canvas with most of his pictorial corpus, in particular the dawn and dusk marines of Chateauroux (Musée Bertrand) or, even more, 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 attributable to Giovanni thanks to the most recent studies of the prolific work of this active family of seventeenth-century vedutistas. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The work is completed by an antique frame and is sold with a certificate of authenticity and warranty. 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. Also follow us on: INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco