Felice Giani

FELICE GIANI (San Sebastian Curon, 1758 - Rome, 1823).
"Pair of landscapes".
Ink on paper.
Measurements: 20 x 28 cm (x2); 42 x 50 cm (frames, x2).
These two landscapes, although they share the same technique and Giani's mastery in the use of ink, show us two different approaches in the representation of nature. The first, with its open composition and the presence of human figures, tells us about the relationship between man and the environment. The second, more intimate and detailed, invites us to a profound contemplation of natural beauty. Both are testimony to the talent of Giani, an artist who knew how to combine the precision of neoclassicism with a romantic sensibility for nature. His loose and expressive strokes, his mastery of composition and his ability to capture the essence of nature make these drawings works of art of great value and interest.
Felice Giani began his training in Pavia where he studied under Carlo Bianchi and Antonio Galli Bibiena. He moved to Bologna, in 1778, where he entered the studio of Domenico Pedrini and Ubaldo Gandolfi. He soon moved to Rome and found work in the decoration of Palazzo Altieri. Between 1780 and 1786, he worked in various studios in Rome, for example, with Pompeo Batoni and Christoph Unterberger. He then returned to northern Italy to work in Faenza, where he worked with the quadratura painter Serafino Barozzi and with Giovanni Battista Ballanti.
In 1784, he won second prize in the Parma Academy painting competition with Samson and Delilah. In 1811, he joined the Accademia di San Luca and in 1819, the Congregation of the Virtuosi of the Pantheon.