Achille Befani Formis (Italian painter) 1830 - 1906
Oasi nel Deserto del Sahara, ca. 1871
oil on canvas
94 x 165 cm. (37 x 65 in.)
signed 'AB Formis' (lower left)
private collection
Catalogue Note Christie's
Oasi nel deserto del Sahara was well received when first exhibited in the Brera at the Esposizione Nazionale di Belle Arti in 1871 and was enthusiastically praised by Vespasiano Bignami, the future founder of Famiglia Artistica. The luminosity with which the painting is infused is typical of the meridional painting from which Formis' activity originates. The Neapolitan artist attended Gabriele Smargiassi's (1798-1882) school of landscape painting and, following a series of personal events that led him to settle in Milan, he left for Turkey in 1868, sailing along the Mediterranean coast to Egypt. The scene, painted en plein-air, captures the light of the moment, communicating a sense of quiet and serenity.
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