Giuseppe Santomaso (Italian 1907-1990) Swept Out Space

Giuseppe Santomaso (Italian, 1907-1990) Swept Out Space Signed and dated "Santomaso '56" l. l., identified on labels from the Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts, affixed to the reverse. Oil on canvas, 23 3/4 x 33 1/4 in. (60.3 x 84.5 cm), framed. Condition: Good. Provenance: Acquired by the Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts, directly from the artist, according to labels affixed to the reverse. N.B. Giuseppe Santomaso was born and trained in Venice, a place that would serve as his main source of inspiration throughout his career. After attending the Accademia di Belle Arti, Santomaso exhibited at the Venice Biennale for the first time in 1934, at the age of 22. He then traveled to Amsterdam and Paris, where he studied the styles of Vincent Van Gogh, Georges Braque, and Henri Matisse. Santomaso returned to Italy where he exhibited widely and, in 1946, helped to found the artists' group Nuova Secessione Artistica Italiana (later named Fronte Nuovo delle Arti). By the 1950s, Santomaso's style had become increasingly abstract. These paintings, with their rich colors and architectural lines, were a direct reflection of his native Venice. Sold for the benefit of the collections of the Smith College Museum of Art.