6063 - Rebell, Josef

Rebell, Josef Shipwreck off Nisida. Oil on canvas, mounted on a backing board. 32.5 x 49 cm. Circa 1821/22. After completing his training at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Rebell moved to Italy in 1810, where he developed his characteristic style, particularly in Milan under the patronage of Caroline Bonaparte Murat of Naples. This painting is part of a series of works such as “Sea Storm at Arco di Miseno near Miliscola with a View Toward Nisida” (1819, Belvedere Museum, Vienna, Inv. No. 2123). In his depictions of sea storms and shipwrecks, he focuses on two central aspects: Nature is no longer portrayed as an Arcadian, idyllic place of longing, but as a force that overwhelms humanity. The drama and dynamism of the storm take center stage, replacing the stage-like landscape painting of the previous century. Rebell’s ability to capture the fleeting weather and light is characteristic. Through the dense cloud cover, an almost otherworldly beam of light breaks through over the foaming sea, which seems to be crashing against the rocks in the Gulf of Naples. Provenance: Private collection, Italy. Lit.: Sabine Grabner, Stella Rolling (eds.): Joseph Rebell: In the Light of the South, exhibition catalog, Vienna, Belvedere Gallery, June 15, 2022 – November 13, 2022, p. 206, WVZ No. 239. - Please request condition reports for the lots, as the condition is only indicated in the catalog in exceptional cases. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.