Gaetano Gandolfi (San Matteo Decima, Bologna 1734 - Bologna, 1802)
Portrait of Giovanna Spisani and Self portrait, 1763
oil on canvas, inv. P 844, P845
provenance: donated by Tristano Giorgio Agostini, 2006
The two paintings were executed in 1763, and can be dated by the
inscription on the artist's self portrait: “G.G. fecit d'Anni G.G. Painted when he was 29 years). Similarly on the wife's portrait, Giovanna Spisani, is written: “d'Anni 20” (20 years).
The couple married in that same year and the paintings were evidently
made to record the event. The artist's self-portrait is extraordinarily
modern for the time. He is depicted in his full youth holding a palette
and brushes.
The wife is presented as a shy young woman with a fresh and light
complexion in a gauzy dress with her hair modestly pulled back. The
soft and bright colors recall the pastel drawing technique, which the
artist learned to use during his recent trip to Venice. His strongly
graphic style, following the academic Bolognese tradition, was later
enriched with luminous and vibrant tones in order to create a more
natural painting.
These portraits are among the liveliest ones of Gaetano Gandolfi's
production, following the style of other major European portraiture of
the time.
