A Venetian scene of the Palazzo Dario by F. R. Unterberger

A Venetian scene of the Palazzo Dario by F. R. Unterberger
Austrian, c.1898-1900
Frame: height 97cm, width 85cm, depth 7cm
Canvas: 83cm, width 70cm, depth 2cm
 
Depicting the Palazzo Dario from the south, looking north from the Piazetta Campielo Barbo, this excellent painting was executed at the end of the nineteenth century by the Romantic landscape artist Franz Richard Unterberger (Austrian, 1838-1902). Choosing to show the Gothic and Renaissance palace, celebrated by the likes of Ruskin, from the south and not from the water, vis-a-vis Monet, Unterberger succeeded in finding a beautiful composition that combined Venetian architecture and waterways with a glimpse of daily life, with a walled garden at the centre of the image.
 
Unterberger studied in Germany at the academies of Munich and Dusseldorf, the latter a favourite of Scandinavian artists, and he subsequently worked in Scandinavia for a time, honing his skills in the mountainous landscapes. He moved back to central Europe, settling in Brussels from which he travelled across the continent, growing a reputation as a cross-European artist. As his career progressed he exhibited more widely from Antwerp to Vienna to the United States, growing an international reputation and appeal, and worked more and more in Italy, gravitating towards beautiful Mediterranean coastal scenes and city-scapes, with Venice a focal point of his mature years.
 
This beautiful painting is a superb example of his oeuvre, combining an old-master's eye for detail and composition with a more engaging, lively and inviting touch of a mature Romantic artist. With a wonderful painterly quality, and a real vitality and skilful use of colour and tone, this work is a delightful piece, and offers a unique perspective of this most beautiful of all cities.
 
Oil on canvas in a carved giltwood frame, signed lower right 'FR Unterberger'
 
Artist/Maker: Franz Richard Unterberger