Circle of Antonio Travi / Il Sestri, Landscape Capriccio, 1630, Oil on Canvas, Framed

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Antonio Travi, known as Sestri (Sestri Ponente 1608 - Genoa 1665), circle
Landscape with Ruins and Biblical Scene

First half … Read more Antonio Travi, known as Sestri (Sestri Ponente 1608 - Genoa 1665), circle
Landscape with Ruins and Biblical Scene

First half of the 17th century
Oil on canvas, 82 x 121 cm, with antique frame 105 x 145 cm

This beautiful published painting, a large landscape with architectural ruins, fully reflects the pictorial poetics of Antonio Travi (Sestri Ponente 1608 - Genoa 1665), the leading landscape painter of the Genoese school of painting. This poetics remained constant throughout his prolific career: from his early days as a student of Bernardo Strozzi until his death in 1668, when his thriving workshop was already supported by numerous children and students. The imposing ruins, highlighted by a cold and luminous light, form the backdrop to the biblical episode of the Flight into Egypt, with the Holy Family in the foreground.

Looking at the stylistic features, we note the clear brushstrokes and love of color typical of the master Strozzi, but also the clarity and precision typical of the Flemish painters active in Genoa, with a particular reference to the German artist Goffredo Waals, present in several collections of the Genoese aristocracy. Wals's luminous and metaphysical scenography translates into Travi's painting, with a Ligurian-inspired ruinistic style, through quick, colorful brushstrokes and a fantastical naturalism accentuated by silvery shimmers. The canvas presented here reveals elements typical of his palette, such as the careful chromatic combinations and the thoughtful insertion of brighter hues into the basic earth tones and whites.

Compositionally, his passionate exploration of the Italianate landscape remains virtually unchanged over time, where the traces of the inexorable passage of time—the ancient ruins of architecture and dilapidated houses—inhabit the silent landscapes of nature. His works are always animated by small figures, simply going about their daily activities: leading flocks to water or grazing on the riverbanks. The same everyday, popular nature of his genre subjects also characterizes his paintings with religious themes, such as the one here presented, always dominated by an order that infuses the setting with a supreme calm.

It should be emphasized, however, that the presence of man never appears decisive; rather, the true protagonist of his works is nature, revealed in all its simplicity. This canvas expresses this well: almost a manifesto of his poetic vein, where the ruin is the true queen of the scene: the inexorable passage of time, which nothing can oppose except Mother Nature, in her silent resistance made of blue skies eternally crossed by clouds, by streams that will always flow to the sea, by meadows and valleys, trees and stones.

The perceived quality is that of an exquisitely handcrafted work: see the reflections on the water, the detailed of the ruin in every stone and even in the traces of decoration on the arches above, the brushstrokes of white that are flashes of light.

Certificate of authenticity (FIMA) This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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