Rubens Santoro (1859 - 1941) Venice - Squero di San Trovaso Oil on canvas 23.7 x 37.2 cm Signature: lower left, 'Rubens Santoro'. Distinguishing features: on the frame, in pencil, inventory number '7074A', possibly affixed in the United States; on the back of the frame, auction marks in white chalk Conservation status. Support: 80% (reintelo) Conservation status. Surface: 90% (minor chipping and retouching; traces of protective varnish) Born in Calabria, Rubens Santoro trained at the Institute of Fine Arts in Naples under Domenico Morelli, assimilating the lessons of Filippo Palizzi, as well as Mariano Fortuny who was present in the Neapolitan city in 1874. After selling a number of paintings in 1873 to the influential Parisian dealer Frédéric Reitlinger, from 1875 he was linked to Adolphe Goupil, who was buying up views and genre themes in Naples that were particularly appreciated by the international market, as can be seen from his works held in public institutions in Italy and abroad (Baltimore, Art Museum; Manchester, Art Gallery; Turin, Museo Civico; Reggio Calabria, Museo Nazionale). Torre Annunziata, Castellammare di Stabia, Procida, Amalfi, Capri and Resina are the subjects of these years, realised with a quick brushstroke and a virtuoso Fortune-like touch. The first Venetian subjects date back to the 1880s, replicated with great success for over twenty years and sent to important exhibitions and to the Parisian galleries Goupil and Chaine & Simonson. As noted by Isabella Valente, the artist focused on the minor Venice of Ciardi, Favretto and Nono. The lagoon allows him, as well as the Gulf of Naples, 'enchanting plays of light, strong chiaroscuro, brilliant atmospheres' (Isabella Valente, "'Dove il sole è così intenso da far male malezzare agli occhi', Rubens Santoro e le scelte della luce", in Tonino Sicoli, Isabella Valente, ed., "Rubens Santoro e i pittori della Provincia di Cosenza tra Otto e Novecento", exhibition catalogue, Catanzaro, 2003, pp. 23-38, p. 28). Among the most characteristic places portrayed in these years is the Squero di San Trovaso, one of the oldest and most famous 'squeri', shipyards named after the squara used to build boats. Located on the Rio de San Trovaso, this squero, dating back to the 17th century, is one of the few still in operation today and is used exclusively for gondolas. The façades of the wooden houses, in a style more Alpine than lagoon, are due to the creativity of the squerarioli, many of whom originated from Cadore. In this painting, Santoro replaces the church of Saints Gervasius and Protasius with a blue sky, which with its bell tower in reality stands behind the wooden buildings of the workshops. Teresa Sacchi Lodispoto