1141 - Odoardo Toscani (Rome 1859 – Smyrna 1914) - Tunis, view of the Bab-Hel Fellah gate

Odoardo Toscani (Rome 1859 – Smyrna 1914) - Tunis, view of the Bab-Hel Fellah gate oil on board, unframed 17.5 x 28 cm signed lower right: OToscani on the back, artist’s stamp and location Odoardo Toscani’s diplomatic career ran parallel to his artistic career: first as a volunteer in Tunis in 1885, then as vice-consul in Constantinople in 1886 and in Patras in 1893, and finally as royal consul in Cairo from 1901 to 1904, and finally in Smyrna from 1905 to 1914; Toscani never failed to devote himself to painting. At every stop, he traveled with his small panels and oil paints, creating true snapshots, often drawn from life. His repertoire includes exotic landscapes, as well as studies of vegetation, a few delightful portraits, animals, and monuments. Wherever he went, his attention to the rendering of light and atmosphere remained vivid, expressed through essential compositions and the lively freshness of a traveler’s impression that attests to a true understanding of places and cultures. In 1889, he also published a travel book, *Tunis*, almost as a complement to his lively pictorial works.