ANTONIO DIZIANI (Venice, 1737 - 1797) River landscape with convent and monks Oil on canvas, 74.5X115.5 cm The painting can be ranked among Antonio Diziani's best creations and, in this case, the aesthetic value is supported by the fine conservation. Documents show that in 1774, the artist was admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts and devoted himself mainly to the landscape genre, following the examples of Marco Ricci and Magnasco, but with a less dramatic tenor and more akin to the works of Giuseppe Zais and Francesco Zuccarelli. His art, in fact, exhibits a peculiar chromatic freshness and a conduction of minute, frayed brushstrokes and figures caught in everyday intimacy in broad landscapes. These aspects are well reflected in the canvas under examination, whose scenic setting is characterised by the declining mountain that dominates the valley and the river that prospectively leads towards the horizon of blue-tinged mountains. We also note the warm colour, spread out with immediacy, but without neglecting the details, just look at the votive aedicule evoking Magnasco's models or the group of houses or the clothes hanging out. In short, Diziani offers a cross-section of hermit and convent life of the 18th century with a naturalistic sensitivity that does not detract from 18th-century grace. We thank Giorgio Fossaluzza for the attribution. Reference bibliography: La pittura nel Veneto. Il Settecento, edited by R. Pallucchini, volume II, Milan 1995, p. 355