143 - Francesco Salvatore Fontebasso (Venice 1707–1769)

Francesco Salvatore Fontebasso (Venice 1707–1769) Saint Francis of Paola Oil on canvas 39 x 32 cm Fontebasso trained in the workshop of Sebastiano Ricci, his teacher and inspiration, and expanded his training through study periods in Rome and Bologna. Evidence of these two experiences can be seen in the classical style and the exaggerated forms of his figures—which owe a debt to Michelangelo’s teachings—as well as in the perspectival and architectural structures of the Emilian “quadraturismo” tradition. Upon returning to Venice, he found new inspiration, drawing closer to the youthful painterly vigor of Giambattista Tiepolo. After receiving his first major commissions from the Manin and Rezzonico families, his career took a decisive turn as a Venetian interior decorator, likely due in part to Tiepolo’s absence from the city. He was also active in Russia, in the church of the Winter Palace, but almost nothing remains of these works executed in St. Petersburg on commission from Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. Francesco Salvatore Fontebasso (Venice 1707–1769) Saint Francis of Paola Oil on canvas 39 × 32 cm