1266 - GASPARD DUGHET

GASPARD DUGHET (attributed to) Wooded Landscape with an Ox-Drawn Cart, a Fortified Village, and a Storm Oil on canvas, 136x98 cm This exquisitely executed work can be traced to 17th-century Roman art and shows a strong resemblance to the stylistic signature of Gaspard Dughet, a leading figure in Baroque landscape painting. Trained in the studio of Nicolas Poussin, who recognized his natural aptitude for naturalistic landscapes, Dughet developed an original and easily recognizable artistic vision. His vision is distinguished by an authentic adherence to natural reality and an Arcadian sensibility devoid of excessive mythological or archaeological references. The painter stood out as one of the pioneers in depicting the Roman countryside with unprecedented emotional engagement and realistic rigor, paying particular attention to the rendering of atmospheric elements and thus confirming a painting practice carried out directly outdoors (en plein air). It is precisely this approach that marks his clearest departure from his contemporaries and the canons of Bolognese Classicism: Dughet, in fact, finds the very essence of Arcadia in nature’s most intense and dramatic movements. Thanks to these distinctive qualities, the artist enjoyed extraordinary fame and was highly sought after by noble patrons, becoming an indispensable point of reference for the masters of the next generation, including Jan Frans van Bloemen and Andrea Locatelli. In addition to securing prestigious commissions for decorative cycles, he consistently maintained the highest standards of execution and technical maturity. His independent artistic journey began in the 1630s, when the painter—drawing inspiration from masters such as Claude Lorrain and Nicolas Poussin—explored the Lazio region firsthand, studying the most evocative landscapes, the play of light, and the rich local flora directly from life. The canvas under analysis is therefore a fine example of his mature phase, attributable to the famous “second manner” theorized by the biographer Filippo Baldinucci. It is a realistic yet idealized glimpse of the Roman countryside, interpreted through a bucolic sensibility in which perspective guides the viewer toward the background, punctuated by the placement of trees and the chiaroscuro of the shadows. Bibliography: See F. Baldinucci, *Notizie de’ professori del disegno... [1681–1728]*, Florence 1845–1847, in the Index of the facsimile edition, VII, Florence 1975 L. Salerno, 'Pittori di paesaggio del Seicento a Roma', Rome 1977–1978, II, pp. 522–545 M. N. Boisclair, “Gaspard Dughet 1615–1675,” Paris 1986 G. Sestieri, “Repertorio della Pittura Romana della fine del Seicento e del Settecento,” Turin 1994, s.v.