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Tutte le aste / Altro / Mattia Traverso (1885 – 1956) - Predica di San Francesco agli uccelli
Mattia Traverso (Genoa, 1885 – 1956) Predica di San Francesco agli uccelli Oil on canvas, 117 x 153 cm Signed and dated bottom left Mattia Traverso 1933 The artistic path of Mattia Traverso, begun in Genoa in 1885, finds in the painting Predica di San Francesco agli uccelli a synthesis between solid academic training and a deeply devotional sensibility, matured during his long stays in Rome. Son of a goldsmith, Traverso trained at the Ligustica Academy of Fine Arts, quickly distinguishing himself with a talent that earned him, in 1911, the prestigious Brignole Sale De Ferrari scholarship. The essay that won him this prize was Salomè, a work where anatomical rendering and the subject’s sensuality already announced the mastery of the human figure that would later become the cornerstone of his production, developed in both secular and sacred contexts. Thanks to the scholarship, the painter could settle in Rome, immersing himself in an artistic climate that led him to specialize in grand religious painting and to experiment with fresco technique, without ever abandoning portraiture and genre scenes. In the painting analyzed here, Traverso tackles one of the most famous themes of Franciscan iconography, drawn directly from the Legenda Maior of Saint Bonaventure, which recounts how the Poor Man of Assisi, near Bevagna, addressed the birds exhorting them to praise the Creator. The comparison with Giotto’s celebrated predecessor in the Upper Basilica of Assisi seems inevitable and functional to understanding the evolution of the figurative language: while Giotto operated a monumental and didactic synthesis, fixing the event in a spatiality defined by few symbolic elements, Traverso immerses the scene in a lush, light-filled nature. Saint Francis is placed at the center of the composition, wrapped in the simple brown robe, with a face marked by an expression of serene ecstasy and hands moved by a gesture of welcome. Around him, a multitude of birds of different species crowd the ground and the branches of trees, rendered with almost ornithological precision that testifies to the painter’s attention to natural detail. In the background, on the right, two companions of the saint are glimpsed observing the prodigy with a mix of astonishment and devotion, set in a hilly landscape that fades toward the horizon under a clear sky. Traverso’s ability to move between genres is confirmed by comparison with other major works: where this piece emphasizes spiritual lyricism, in Allegoria del lavoro (Il Primo Maggio) housed at the Genoa Modern Art Gallery the artist demonstrates a plastic strength and a social tension of a different kind, while maintaining the solid drawing that he learned in his Genoese years. His activity for ecclesiastical commissions is vast and he is a protagonist in numerous centers, as shown by Madonna alla liberazione degli eletti in the Diocese of Ferrara, where complex composition marries luminous research of strong effect. Yet it is in the Ligurian territory that Traverso left the most widespread testimonies of his religious art, filling the churches of Genoa and the region with canvases of notable emotional impact. Consider San Girolamo Emiliani presents the orphans to the Madonna, where the charitable theme is translated into an accessible yet formally high language, or Samaritana al pozzo, a work in which sacred dialogue takes on a daily life rich in symbolic meanings. Again, San Bernardo celebra la messa e salva le anime reaffirms his ability to orchestrate complex choral scenes, where the supernatural bursts into the real with a naturalness that is the hallmark of his entire production. Predica di San Francesco agli uccelli fits perfectly into this catalog, representing a moment of balance between traditional hagiographic narration and a modern painterly rendering, capable of conveying the Franciscan message of universal harmony through a wise use of color and atmospheric rendering, confirming Mattia Traverso as one of the most significant and prolific figures of Ligurian painting in the first half of the 20th century. The frame is provided as a gift, therefore it cannot be a reason for return or complaint. For paintings purchased abroad: after payment, the procedure to obtain an export license (ALC) will be started. All antiquarian pieces sent abroad from Italy require this document, issued by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. The procedure could take from 3 to 5 weeks from the request, so as soon as we have the document the painting will be shipped.
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