(Rome 1695–1741)
A wooded river landscape with figures resting, town wall beyond; and
A wooded river landscape with peasants and their flock under a stormy sky, a castle beyond,
oil on canvas, 55 x 70.5 cm and 53.5 x 69 cm, framed, a pair (2)

Provenance:
Private European collection

Literature:
A. Busiri Vici, Andrea Locatelli e il paesaggio romano del Settecento, Rome 1976, pp. 98–99, figs. 119–120, cat. nos. 33–34 (as Andrea Locatelli)

The present paintings are prime examples of the eighteenth-century Arcadian landscape genre, which was favoured by the cultural elite of the era. Locatelli’s depictions showcase countryside views framed by trees, with archaic figures dressed in clothing reminiscent of Roman sculpture, adding a classicising element to the composition.

One of Locatelli’s first commissions was the decoration of a room in the Palazzo Ruspoli in Rome 1715, followed by several more commissioned decorations. Initially, he concentrated on river and coastal landscapes, while later, taking inspiration from the work of Gaspar Dughet, he increasingly turned to painting idyllic views of the Roman Campagna and mythological scenes set in Arcadian landscapes.

Locatelli worked for important patrons such as the Colonna and the Borghese as well as the courts of Turin and Madrid. The luminosity of his landscapes supplied an important model to Giovanni Paolo Panini and are an important point of reference to the younger generation of painters including Hubert Robert, Paolo Anesi and Paolo Monaldi.