The “Landscape” by Giovanni Costa, known as Nino Costa, effectively represents the lyrical and contemplative sensibility that characterizes the production of the Roman artist in the second half of the nineteenth century. In fact, Costa was a central figure in the renewal of Italian landscape painting, developing an autonomous research with respect to the academic tradition and moving closer to a more direct and poetic vision of nature.
In this work, the composition opens onto a vast view immersed in a soft and rarefied light. However, the landscape is not described with a topographical intent; on the contrary, the artist constructs a scene dominated by atmospheric balances and delicate tones, where sky, vegetation and distances gradually merge. Moreover, the presence of the moon and the mountain profiles in the background accentuates the sense of quiet and suspension.
The brushstroke appears soft and controlled, while the colours are played out on delicate ranges of blues, greens and pinks. Consequently, the image assumes an almost meditative quality, consistent with Costa’s poetics, always interested in a spiritual relationship with the landscape. At the same time, the broad horizon and the essential spatial construction recall the taste of the Etruscan School, a group promoted by the artist himself together with English and Italian painters.
Therefore, this work testifies to a modern conception of landscape, founded not on narrative emphasis but on the emotional rendering of nature. Moreover, its provenance from the collection of the Bolognese antique dealer Accursio Accorsi contributes to increasing its historical and collecting interest. In conclusion, the painting fully highlights Giovanni “Nino” Costa’s ability to transform the natural view into a silent reflection on light and time.
Description: Oil on panel, signed lower right G. Costa, H cm 35.5×71.
Provenance: Works from the collection of the Bolognese antique dealer Accursio Accorsi.
Aggiudicato: € 6.820,00
Auction 46 – 26 May 2021 – Modern and Contemporary Art
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