Natale Schiavoni (Chioggia 1777 - Venezia 1858)

Natale Schiavoni (Chioggia 1777 - Venice 1858)

Odalisque

Pastel on paper, cm 60 x 45

Frame, cm 77 x 64.5

Signed and dated in the upper left: N. Schiavoni 1856

Natale Schiavoni (Chioggia, 25 April 1777 - Venice, 16 April 1858) was an Italian painter and engraver, best known for his portraits and genre scenes characterized by a delicate sensuality and elegant execution. Born into a family of artists - his father Felice was a painter particularly appreciated by his contemporaries -, Schiavoni initially trained in his father’s workshop. His early artistic inclination soon brought him to Venice, where he had the opportunity to study and get in touch with the main exponents of the artistic environment of the lagoon city. His career developed through different phases and influences. Initially linked to the Venetian pictorial tradition of the eighteenth century, with a particular attention to color and light, Schiavoni was able to carry out a profound evolution in his style, incorporating in his works elements characterizing neoclassicism and romanticism, dominant trends at the beginning of the 19th century. He became particularly popular for his portraits, in which he was able to grasp with sensitivity the personality and elegance of 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 dedicated himself to genre painting, creating intimate and graceful scenes, often with female figures in languid poses or in daily idealized contexts. His skill in drawing and attention to detail helped make these works particularly pleasing and refined. During his career, Schiavoni traveled frequently, staying in Trieste and Milan,where he worked as a portraitist and met important personalities of the cultural and aristocratic world. These trips broadened his artistic horizons and influenced his production. Returning to Venice, he continued his painting activity successfully until his death in 1858. His work remains a testimony of a period of transition in the Italian art scene, in which the Venetian tradition was opened to new sensibilities and influences. The Odalisca is certainly one of the most requested subjects by the aristocratic and upper middle-class clientele of the mid-nineteenth century; in fact, it was repeated on several occasions by the artist: exemplified in this sense appears the painting of the Revoltella Museum in Trieste (cat. 13), institution that of Schiavoni preserves five paintings. In this version, whose attribution to the artist from Chiozzotte origins has been confirmed by Fernando Mazzocca, the exoticism of surface - and so to say "masked" - of the usual half female figure merges with the eye-catching smile and intriguing look directed maliciously to the observer. The refined sensuality of the alabastrino bust, which stands out from the material effects of the precious fabrics, particularly fascinated the committenza of the time, who appreciated this segment of the production of Schiavoni. Although his production is extensive and includes works in oil, it is in pastel that Schiavoni has shown a peculiar sensitivity and delicacy, capturing with rare precision the nuances and expressions of his subjects. His pastel works are distinguished by the brightness of colors and the softness of textures, elements that give portraits and subjects of orientalist inspiration a remarkable vitality and a kind of transparency. Schiavoni was able to faithfully render the details of the fabrics, the shine of the jewels and, above all, the depth of the looks, revealing the psychology of the characters. His skilful use of pastel testifies to a deep knowledge of the potential of this medium, which he used to create works of great visual impact and remarkable refinement, helping to keep alive the tradition of pastel portrait in an era dominated by oil. The pastel works of Natale Schiavoni remain today precious testimonies of an art that combines technical virtuosity and deep aesthetic sensitivity.

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