Achille Battistuzzi

ACHILLE BATTISTUZZI (Trieste - Barcelona, 1891).
"View of Barcelona".1878.
Oil on canvas.
Signed, dated and located in the lower right corner.
Attached to the back a label of Ramoneda & Barrachina.
Measurements: 90 x 131 cm; 110 x 151 cm (frame).
Achile Battistuzzi was an Italian painter who lived in Barcelona for most of his life, giving the Catalan capital magnificent port and urban views. In the painting shown here, Battistuzzi's mastery of working the space in a scenographic manner is evident, naturally superimposing the mountainous landscape (the Montjuïc area) and the port of Barcelona, which can be glimpsed in the background, criss-crossed with boats. The Reales Atarazanas (Royal Shipyards) divide the seafront and the margins of the city. In this panoramic view, the artist displays his skills as a veduttist and his bold use of light. The rural area with its peasants and the port area with its fishing boats form two parallel realities.
Achille Battistuzzi settled in Barcelona around 1866. He specialised in landscape paintings with urban scenes. He was one of those who introduced Venetian Vedutism to Catalonia, following the influences of Canaletto and Guardi.
His work "El pla de la Boqueria" is in the collection of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya. Painted around 1873, the work was exhibited at the Universal Exhibition in Barcelona in 1888. The Barcelona History Museum has nine works by the artist, and the Historical Archive of the City of Barcelona holds two oil paintings, two watercolours, two drawings and two engravings. The Maritime Museum of Barcelona holds the canvas entitled "Vista de las Reales Atarazanas de Barcelona y de la Montaña de Montjuïc" (View of the Royal Shipyards of Barcelona and Montjuïc Mountain).