98 - Sebastiano Ricci (Belluno 1659 – Venice 1734)

Sebastiano Ricci (Belluno 1659 – Venice 1734) Self-Portrait Oil on canvas 99.5 x 74.5 cm The work is accompanied by a typewritten copy (photocopy) of the article “New Works by Sebastiano Ricci (and a Ricci-esque Pellegrini)” written by Professor Ugo Ruggeri, published in *Studies in Honor of Giovanni del Basso* We have a wonderful description of Sebastiano Ricci thanks to Pallucchini, who wrote: “One of the most significant masters of the shift toward the Rococo in Venetian figurative art of the early 18th century. Together with Gianantonio Pellegrini and Jacopo Amigoni, the artist from Belluno gradually developed an entirely new vision, both in the use of expressive means and in the decorative spirit, which took on a typically Rococo character in both large-scale decoration and easel painting.” Having moved to Venice from his native Belluno, he completed his apprenticeship there, although his attention was immediately drawn to the decorative painting of the Bolognese—Annibale Carracci foremost among them—and to Roman Baroque, particularly the works of Pietro da Cortona and Baciccia. A wandering painter—the first Venetian to cross the Alps—he drew inspiration from his travels: among these, his encounter with the art of Luca Giordano, seen in Florence, was particularly significant. Returning to Venice after two decades, at the beginning of the 18th century, he notably redefined the canons of elegance and chromatic beauty associated with Veronese. Sebastiano Ricci (Belluno 1659 – Venice 1734) Self-portrait Oil on canvas 99.5 x 74.5 cm The work is accompanied by a typewritten copy (photocopy) of the article “Nuove opere di Sebastiano Ricci (e un Pellegrini riccesco)” written by Professor Ugo Ruggeri, published in *Studi in onore di Giovanni del Basso*