Pagan Goddess, or Goddess of Love
Giovanni Segantini was an Italian painter known for his large pastoral landscapes of the Alps. He was one of the most famous artists in Europe in the late 19th century. In later life, he combined a Divisionist painting style with Symbolist images of nature. He was active in Switzerland during the last period of his life.
In Pagan Goddess, we see the depiction of the female figure that bears a resemblance to Venetian Renaissance prototypes, including the Venere di Dresda (Venus of Dresden) by Giorgione and Titian (Tiziano) and the Venere di Urbino (Venus of Urbino) by Titian (Tiziano).
The current oval-shaped version of the painting is the result of subsequent reworkings of the first draft that was made in 1894. Presented at his personal exhibition at Sforza Castle in that same year, Segantini later reworked the painting for the first time after some criticism. The female figure, who was initially nude, was deemed inappropriate, so the artist crafted the surrounding red drapery that covers her, blending with her thick blonde hair. An extended portion of the landscape was covered with burnished gold polish, framing the image in its current oval shape. Finally, in the 1930s, the elaborate golden frame was added above the layer of gold polish.
Here's a Giovanni Segantini's snowy story with a sad end.
作者：Giovanni Segantini was an Italian painter known for his large pastoral landscapes of the Alps. He was one of the most famous artists in Europe in the late 19th century, and his paintings were collected by major museums. In later life he combined a Divisionist painting style with Symbolist images of nature. He was active in Switzerland for most of his life. Hewas born at Arco in Trentino, which was then part of the County of Tyrol in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.His older brother, Lodovico, died in a fire the year Giovanni was born. During the first seven years of his life his father, who was a tradesman, traveled extensively while looking for work. Except for a six-month period in 1864 when Agostino returned to Trentino, Segantini spent his early years with his mother, who experienced severe depression due to the death of Lodovico. These years were marked by poverty, hunger and limited education due to his mother's inability to cope.In 1873 Segantini's half-brother Napoleon claimed him from the reformatory, and for the next year Segantini lived with Napoleon in Trentino. Napoleon ran a photography studio, and Segantini learned the basics of this relatively new art form while working there with his half-brother. His first major painting, The Chancel of Sant Antonio (Il Coro di Sant'Antonio), was noticed for its powerful quality, and in 1879 it was acquired by Milan's Società per le Belle Arti.In 1886 Segantini sought a less expensive place to live and, attracted by the beautiful mountain scenery, he moved his family to Savognin, Graubünden.Segantini continued to gain recognition in Italy, and in 1894 the Castello Sforzesco in Milan put on a retrospective of ninety of his works. At the first Venice Biennale in 1895, Segantini was awarded the Prize of the Italian State for his painting "Return to the Homeland."
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