Rafael Senet Y Perez, Venetian View, 1890, Oil on Canvas

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A beautiful and highly atmospheric venetian view by celebrated spanish painter rafael senet y perez (1856–1926), depicting the waterfront beside … Read more A beautiful and highly atmospheric venetian view by celebrated spanish painter rafael senet y perez (1856–1926), depicting the waterfront beside the doge's palace in venice, with gondolas and elegantly dressed figures animating the promenade. Painted in oil on canvas, the composition demonstrates senet's accomplished handling of light, colour and architectural detail. The luminous blue and violet tones of the lagoon contrast beautifully with the warm pink façade of the doge's palace, while loosely painted figures, gondolas and shimmering reflections bring movement and life to the scene. The painting is signed “r. P. Senet” lower left and retains its original period frame. Of particular interest is the surviving original exhibition label to the reverse, together with a gladwell & patterson gallery label, adding valuable provenance and exhibition history to the work. Born in seville in 1856, rafael senet y perez studied at the city's college of fine arts under joaquín domínguez bécquer and eduardo cano de la peña, before continuing his training with josé villegas y cordero. He later moved to madrid, where his study of the old masters in the prado further developed his technique. In 1881 senet travelled to rome and subsequently worked extensively throughout italy, including florence, naples and, most importantly, venice. The city became one of his most celebrated subjects. His venetian paintings are distinguished by their brilliant mediterranean light, sophisticated colouring and combination of precise architectural observation with lively, impressionistic brushwork. Senet exhibited internationally and received several distinctions during his career, including a silver medal at the exposición nacional de bellas artes in madrid in 1884 and a further silver medal in munich. His venetian views found an enthusiastic international audience, particularly among british collectors. His work was also represented in london by the prominent tooth gallery, while examples of his paintings entered institutional and important private collections. Artist: rafael senet y perez (1856–1926) subject: venice, doge's palace and lagoon medium: oil on canvas signed: “r. P. Senet”, lower left artwork dimensions: 20 x 32 in. (50 x 82 cm) framed dimensions: 27 x 39 in. (68 x 100 cm) frame: original period frame provenance: original exhibition label and gladwell & patterson gallery label to reverse period: late 19th / early 20th century origin: spanish an especially attractive example of senet's sought-after venetian subjects, combining one of the artist's signature locations with strong colour, architectural detail and excellent period presentation. See less