SOLD

SOLD

Ludovico Cavaleri (Italian, 1867-1942)

Paris by night, 1926

oil on board

signed, inscribed and dated ` LCavaleri/1926’ (reverse upper right) and `Vecchia Parigi/ (Ottobre 1926)’ (reverse left)

45 x 49.1/8 in. (114 x 125 cm.)

Cavaleri was born in Milan. A self-taught member of the school of Lombard Naturalism in its last stages, Cavaleri abandoned his medical studies in 1888 to devote himself exclusively to painting. Having begun to specialise in seascapes under the influence of his contemporaries Pompeo Mariani and Giorgio Belloni in 1890, he later adopted the anti-naturalistic approach characteristic of the turn of the century, possibly as a result of his friendship with the Symbolist poet Gian Pietro Lucini. In addition to his large output of paintings, he also worked as an illustrator and commercial artist. A regular participant in the major exhibitions, he achieved considerable success in the art market and was awarded a number of official awards, including a gold medal in Milan in 1893, at the International Exhibition of Munich in 1902 and a gold medal at Barcelona in 1907. The prestigious Galleria Pesaro hosted two solo shows of the artist’s work, one in 1918 and the other in 1935. He died in Cuvio, Varese, in 1942. The Galleria Ranzini dedicated a posthumous exhibition to him in 1946.

The King of Italy bought several of his works and his works are held in many major collections, including The Galleries of Modern Art in Rome, Turin, Genoa and Milan.

4 of his works were also included in the 1904 exhibition at Earl’s Court arranged by the Italian Chamber of Commerce.

It is difficult to identify the location of this work but it is very reminiscent of the streets around Montmartre. The night is pierced by light from the windows and bars. Figures bustle through the streets below tall buildings festooned with advertising from the day, providing a dramatically atmospheric snapshot of Paris in the 1920s.