First half of the 18th century, Brescia school, Pair of still lifes with birds 

First half of the 18th century, Brescia school

Pair of still lifes with birds

(2) Oil on canvas, 33,5 x 24 cm

With frame, 28 x 38 cm

The Northern Italian school of painting developed from the 16th century onwards a particular predilection for a sincere still-life that investigated with heartfelt vividness and naturalistic virtuosity those subjects traditionally established in the drawing repertoire; live life of animals thus preferentially prepared creatures from the undergrowth, from the courtyard and from the pastoral. The feverishly tactile working of the pictorial material had encouraged an ever greater predilection for alignment with the trends then coming from the Flemish countries; these characteristics are found in the present pair of live life with birds, probably produced in the Tuscan area in the first decades of the 18th century.

In the first of the two animalier paintings, a lively scene is animated with several birds with colorful plumage. Some seem to interact with each other, appearing to be depicted in flight or perched among the dark, earthy vegetation that forms the background to the branched and lively composition. Different species can be seen, each with its own chromatic peculiarities, which capture the observer's eye for their uniqueness and vivacity. The second painting also presents a group of birds in a natural environment with the same characteristics. Here, attention is focused more on a single bird in the foreground, with more defined details in the plumage, with vivid and bright colors. The other birds seem to move around it, creating an interesting dynamic within the elaborate composition. Both paintings share a color palette that ranges from the dark tones of the earth and foliage to the more vivid touches of the birds' plumage, developing a contrast that was quite common in the painting of natural life in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. The figures, rendered through rapid brushstrokes, are characterized by a marked dynamism. The pair of canvases shows marked analogies with the production of the Brescian Giorgio Duranti. Giorgio Duranti (Brescia, 1683 – Palazzolo sull'Oglio, 1768) was a multifaceted and fascinating figure of the Lombard Baroque, distinguishing himself not only as a painter but also as an intellectual and religious figure. Of noble origins from Brescia, his life was characterized by an interesting combination of academic studies, cultural interests and a deep dedication to art. Duranti completed his studies at the Jesuit nobles' college in Brescia, where he had the opportunity to cultivate a wide range of interests. In addition to painting, he devoted himself to the study of science and music, becoming an excellent cello player. This cultured and refined profile of his, combined with a quiet and Arcadian life spent largely in Palazzolo sull'Oglio, makes him a representative figure of a certain ideal of intellectual life of the time. In the artistic field, Giorgio Duranti specialized in particular in still lifes of flowers and, above all, in animal painting, with a predilection for the depiction of birds of all species. His works show a keen ability to observe animals alive and in the open air, a trait that brings him closer to the Flemish animal painters and anticipates some later trends. Many of his works depicting animals are now kept in Brescia.