Circle of Natale Schiavoni (Chioggia, 1777 – Venice, 1858), The Letter

Circle of Natale Schiavoni (Chioggia, 1777 – Venice, 1858) The Letter Oil on copper, 48 x 38 cm With frame, 67.5 x 59 cm Natale Schiavoni (Chioggia, April 25, 1777 – Venice, April 16, 1858) was an Italian painter and engraver, best known for his portraits and genre scenes characterized by delicate sensuality and elegant execution. Born into a family of artists – his father, Felice, was a painter – Schiavoni initially trained in his father's workshop. His early artistic inclination soon led him to Venice, where he had the opportunity to study and come into contact with the artistic environment of the lagoon city. His career developed through various phases and influences. Initially linked to the Venetian pictorial tradition of the eighteenth century, with particular attention to color and light, Schiavoni evolved his style, incorporating elements of Neoclassicism and Romanticism. He became particularly appreciated for his portraits, in which he sensitively captured the personality and elegance of the subjects, often members of the high society of his time. His female figures are characterized by an idealized beauty and an aura of refined melancholy. In addition to portraits, Schiavoni also devoted himself to genre painting, creating intimate and graceful scenes, often with female figures in languid poses or in idealized everyday contexts. His skill in drawing and his attention to detail contributed to making these works particularly pleasant and sought after. During his career, Schiavoni traveled frequently, staying in Trieste and Milan, where he worked as a portraitist and met important figures from the cultural and aristocratic world. These travels broadened his artistic horizons and influenced his production. Back in Venice, he continued his successful painting activity until his death in 1858. His work remains a testimony to a period of transition in the Italian artistic landscape, in which the Venetian tradition opened up to new sensibilities and influences. This painting by a member of his circle reflects the ideal of feminine beauty promoted by Schiavoni throughout his production. The iconography of the girl reading the letter, with its possible Risorgimento implications, is also taken from the work of the artist originally from Chioggia. From Schiavoni, the author of this painting takes the softness of the brushstroke, the luminosity of the complexions, the sense of intimacy and melancholy of the scene, the elegance and attention in the rendering of clothes and accessories, and the soft atmosphere, which gives the painting an almost dreamlike and dreamy allure.