Cesare Laurenti (1854–1936) – Portrait Study

Cesare Laurenti (1854–1936) – Portrait Study Cesare Laurenti (Mesola, 6 November 1854 – Venice, 8 November 1936) Oil painting on canvas depicting a portrait study, signed and dated in the upper right corner. Dimensions: 88 x 112 cm with frame. Old restorations are visible in the lower part of the painting. There is also an expert report by Prof. Cristina Beltrami of Venice. The lower part of the painting is unfinished as it is a study for a portrait. Trained in Padua, he attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence and in 1878 moved to Naples where he met Domenico Morelli. He then returned to Padua and shortly afterwards settled in Venice, where he worked in the style of the time, influenced by Giacomo Favretto. He then moved on to mythological and literary subjects. After winning the prestigious Principe Umberto prize at the First Triennial Exhibition of 1891 of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Brera with his painting Le Parche, his style became more metaphorical, eventually becoming decidedly symbolist. This was the period of some of his most representative works, such as Fioritura Nova (preserved at Ca' Pesaro).