Giuseppe Santomaso biography

Giuseppe Santomaso, born in 1907 in Venice to a Venetian goldsmith and a woman from Padua, was one of the most influential Italian painters of the 20th century. From a young age, he showed an innate talent for painting, which led him to first attend the Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa and later the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia, where he came into contact with the sculptor Alberto Viani.
Initially, his style was naturalistic and figurative, typical of many young artists of the time. However, Giuseppe Santomaso was not content to follow traditional canons and increasingly approached avant-garde art. In 1937, he traveled to the Netherlands to study the Impressionists and the Fauves, and the use of color in works like those of Van Gogh had a significant impact on his artistic evolution.
His first solo exhibition takes place in Paris in 1939, at the Galerie Rive Gauche. In the 1940s, he actively participates in the anti-fascist movement, contributing to the founding of the group of artists Nuova secessione artistica italiana and Fronte nuovo delle arti. This period marks a turning point in his artistic production, in which his style evolves towards an abstract and lyrical expression.
His works of still lifes and portraits are replaced by a freer and more experimental painting. From 1948, Giuseppe Santomaso begins to exhibit regularly at the Venice Biennale, consolidating his reputation and receiving numerous awards, including the First Prize for Italian Painting in 1954. Alongside exhibitions and artistic events, he also engages in significant teaching activities at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice from 1957 to 1975. The trip to the United States in 1957 marks a crucial moment in the artist's career. During his stay in New York, Giuseppe Santomaso comes into contact with the exponents of Abstract Expressionism, which greatly influence his style and artistic themes. His works become increasingly luminous and architectural, exploring the possibilities of color and light."}
In the 1960s, the artist enters another phase of change in their artistic production. They approach minimalism, reducing forms and simplifying compositions to essential geometric elements. This period marks a greater reflection on the very nature of painting, exploring the autonomy of the image and the interaction between form and color.
In the last years of his life, Giuseppe Santomaso continued to produce significant works, maintaining a prominent place in the landscape of contemporary Italian art. In 1990, shortly after his death, a major retrospective dedicated to his work was organized at the Pinacoteca Rusca in Locarno.
Giuseppe Santomaso was an eclectic and visionary artist, capable of adapting and reinventing himself throughout his career. His ability to express abstract emotions and tensions through color and form made him one of the leading representatives of lyrical and expressionist abstractionism in Italy. His artistic legacy continues to inspire and influence subsequent generations of artists.