Pauwels Franck, known as Paolo Fiammingo (Antwerp, 1540 - Venice, 1596) Venus reclining in a landscape Oil on canvas (116 x 150 cm - in antique frame 136 x 170 cm) The work is accompanied by a critical analysis by Dr. Federica Spadotto Complete details of this work can be found directly at the following - LINK - The splendid painting depicts a refined and sensual Venus, unclothed and reclining on a red gold-brocaded cloth strewn with roses, in a composition of profound symbolic value, reaching the perfect representation of the Renaissance woman who, like Venus, becomes an allegory of love, eros, beauty and fertility. The canvas fits into the prestigious Venetian artistic and cultural environment of the second half of the sixteenth century, whose peculiar distinguishing feature can be found in its cosmopolitan vocation. This characteristic, as Dr. Spadotto noted in her in-depth study, belongs to the same physiology of the Venetian capital, that is, being a distinctly commercial city located in a strategic point for trade. Representing one of the most vibrant ports in the Mediterranean also meant witnessing the continuous passage not only of goods, but also of men, ideas, and suggestions from distant countries, which influenced not only the taste of its people, but above all art. This occurred thanks to the circulation of prints, as well as painted examples, to which were added the stays of great foreign artists and, above all, the permanent residence in the capital of a not inconsiderable number of Dutch, Flemish and German masters. An emblematic case in this regard comes from Pauwels Franck (Antwerp, 1540 - Venice, 1596), better known as Paolo Fiammingo, who established himself in his native city at a young age - in 1561 he is listed in the Guild of Saint Luke - and arrived in Venice in 1573. He resided in Venice from 1584 until his death, although the stylistic and formal references of some of his works have led critics to believe that in previous years he had undertaken a journey to central Italy, namely to Florence and Rome, where he would have assimilated the lively cultural debate that permeated these cities and that, instead, seemed completely absent in Venice. Here Paul will be fascinated by the sense of color and the atmospheric component fixed on the canvas by Jacopo Tintoretto (Venice 1518 - 1594), of whom he becomes a collaborator, to undergo, around 1590, the suggestion of Paolo Caliari known as Veronese (Verona 1528 - Venice 1588), both from the coloristic point of view, and with respect to precise guiding characteristics. The painting in question stands as an illuminating figurative example of what has just been referred to, since it revisits the Venetian pictorial tradition through the Nordic filter, which is grafted onto a subject typical of the Renaissance repertoire. In the Venus in the foreground, with a typically Veronese physiognomy, the reference to the Venus with organist, cupid and little dog performed by Titian (Pieve di Cadore, 1488-90-Venice, 1576) and now at the Staatlische Museum in Berlin appears as a real tribute to the great master. With the latter it shares the compositional structure, with the red curtain that overhangs the goddess and the landscape in the background, although revisited in a strictly Nordic key, according to a modality that can be traced in the Venus with little dog of Ca 'Rezzonico, in Venice. In this version of the theme, however, the author still shows himself linked to the Flemish dictates, which in the large canvas that is the object of study become a complete synthesis of the aesthetics between Northern Europe and the lagoon sensitivity. In the little flowers in the foreground and in the enjoyable landscape that evokes the great Flemish masters, the very peculiar Venetian light is clearly perceptible: a real seal, together with the sky taken from the Caliari, of the pictorial recipe elaborated by Pauwels. These create a smooth cameo imbued with elegance, refinement and expressive happiness at the same time, in which the composed feminine beauty and the landscape reproduced with care in detail coexist with a fast, lively brushstroke impregnated with light. The painting is in excellent condition, with a beautiful antique frame. The work is accompanied by a photographic certificate of authenticity in accordance with the law. We take care of and organize the transport of purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. For any further information, do not hesitate to contact us. Follow us also on: https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco/