Verona, 1740 - 1793
Interior with carnival scene
oil on canvas cm. 64x93
in the frame for a total of cm. 76.5x105.5
Marco Marcola, also called Marcuola, was born in Verona in 1740 Father Giambattista, also a painter. He was a painter of various genres and of vast production, widespread mainly in the Veneto-Lombardy region. His works ranged from frescoes to decorating signs, furniture, sedan chairs and gondolas, but more than anything he was sought after for his popular canvases. He began his career decorating villas in the Veronese area, his style was considered very similar, both for the style and for the subjects treated, to that of the Venetian Giandomenico Tiepolo, although in no document it is made mention of a possible acquaintance between the two Venetian painters. Precisely in the works of Tiepolo, also known for his Pulcinella and his party scenes, many affinities can be found with the canvas offered here.
The subject is typical of Marcola: a scene full of characters, men and women, in carnival dress, represented in a joyful and festive attitude. Tones see the predominance of brown colors. The coloristic notes are entrusted to the clothes of the characters, with strange hairstyles, wigs, bellies and prominent bumps. The work, in a very good state of conservation, can easily be combined with a smaller canvas presented at auction in 2017 in America representing the king of the carnival of Verona, oil on canvas cm. 54x71, where the same characters seem to come to life.