Eugenio Bonivento - known as "Zeno"
(Chioggia,1880–Milan,1956)
Oil painting on canvas
Contemporary frame
Canvas cm. 35 x 55
Frame cm. 45 x 72
Very good condition
This splendid pair of paintings very effectively depicts two characteristic Venetian views.
The landscape is the most typical of the surroundings of Venice and expresses in an exemplary way the most rural soul of the City, with the enchanting lagoon houses far from the majestic noble palaces and the monumental basilicas around the San Marco Basin.
The two views are particularly lively and offer an attractive description of daily life in this extraordinary landscape, where the boats moored to the banks of the canals constitute the only means of transport for moving around the meanders of the lagoon.
The cheerful little squares in front of the churches are animated by characters who embody the Venetian spirit, with cloaks and the typical hat on their heads.
They are two magnificent autograph works by Eugenio "Zeno" Bonivento, one of the most interesting interpreters of the lagoon landscape in the first decades of the 20th century.
The two canvases are part of his best creations, both for the confident and precise brushwork and for the particularly lively and luminous chromaticism, with the combination of warm and cold colors of great effect.
Among his works, this pair of views is also a rarity, as it is larger in size than his catalog composed almost exclusively of small panels, "souvenirs" for visitors to Venice.
They are in excellent condition, complete with the original golden frames.
Biographical notes:
Eugenio Bonivento known as "Zeno" (Chioggia, 8 June 1880 – Milan, 12 November 1956) formed his painting in Venice, where he successfully attended the Academy of Fine Arts. Here he was immediately attracted to the study of the great Venetian masters of the 18th century , especially with the bright lagoon views.
He, while maintaining the unmistakable chromaticism and description of the architecture and characters typical of the Venetian school, interprets them in a more modern way with a full-bodied and dynamic brushstroke, always full of light.
Comanducci describes him as "The poet of light and air" and his works, which mainly depict the lagoon and the Venetian countryside, can in fact be defined as "airy and luminous" with a highly effective atmospheric rendering. Bonivento's love for his land is evident, which he will continue to depict after moving to Milan.
Among the exhibitions of his career, we remember the numerous participations in the Venice Biennale: that of 1912 and the three consecutive ones of 1920, 1922 and 1924. His paintings are exhibited among other things at the Gallery of Modern Art in Milan and the International Gallery of Modern Art in Venice.