Julien Gustave GAGLIARDINI (1846- 1927)

Far from the tourist clichés of Venice, Julien, Gustave Gagliardini plunges us into the heart of an old and seductive district of Venice, particularly peaceful and romantic, the Dorsoduro. The painter chose to represent the Squero of San Trovaso, one of the last places in activity for the manufacture and repair of gondolas. In operation since the 17th century, the place is picturesque with its wooden houses resembling mountain chalets; the workshops belong to families originally from the mountain where the raw material for the manufacture of boats came from. Behind the workshops, you can see the San Trovaso church, which gives its name to the rio that runs along its eastern flank. A vibrant post impressionist touch and bright colors, the blue of the sky and the oranges of the old stone and wood bring to the work a lot of warmth and cheerfulness. Julien Gustave Gagliardini is a Lorraine painter of figures, history and landscapes born in Mulhouse and died in Paris.
He was first a student of the history painter Claude Soulary, then he entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, in the studio of Leon Cogniet. He then turned to figure painting and made his debut at the 1869 Salon with portraits and genre scenes. He then abandoned historical subjects and from the 1880s, devoted himself to landscapes generally inspired by the Auvergne and the south of France (Provence) which became his favorite subjects. His paste is solid and his colors frank and often vivid, and he was the recipient of several state purchases (Coup de midi, Provence 1880, Plein midi, Auvergne 1891, À Venise 1913) and numerous awards: Honorable Mention in 1883, Third Class Medal in 1884, Second Class Medal in 1886, Silver Medal at the 1889 Universal Exhibition, Gold Medal at the 1900 Universal Exhibition. He was named Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 1893. Bibliography: – Hélène Braeuener, ” Gagliardini “, in Les Peintres de la baie de Somme : autour de l’impressionnisme, la Renaissance du livre, Tournai, 2001, p. 60-61 – Raymond Oberlé, ” Julien Gustave Gagliardini (pseudonyme de Gaillardin) “, in Nouveau dictionnaire de biographie alsacienne, vol. 12, p. 1096 Museums: – Évreux; musée de l’ancien évêché -Crepuscule, femme dans un pré à la tombée du jour. – Marseille; Museum of Fine Arts – Landscape. – Le Havre; André Malraux Museum of Modern Art – Le quai marchand in Toulon. -Bayeux; Baron Gérard Museum – Landscape at Laguépie. -Digne-les-Bains; Gassendi museum – Village on the Mediterranean coast. -Reims; Museum of Fine Arts of Saint-Denis – Lost village (Basse Alpes). – Narbonne; archbishop’s palace – Shoes in Provence.