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ADOLFO FERAGUTTI VISCONTI
(Pura, Canton Ticino 1850 - Milan 1924)
YOUNG WOMAN DRAWN ON A SOFA

Watercolour on thick wove paper, signed in pencil FeraguttiV; 155 x 243 mm.

 

By the age of 18 years, Feragutti enrolled at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied under Luigi Bisi. He was attracted by the work of the Milanese Scapigliatura and was one of the first members of the circle La Famiglia Artistica. Feragutti completed his studies under the guidance of Stefano Ussi, which brought him into contact with the Tuscan Art scene. On his return to Milan, he took part unfailingly in the major national exhibitions. It was in 1883 that he produced the first of his still lifes, which were to earn him a considerable reputation in the 1890s. A portrait of his in an outdoor setting won the prestigious Prince Umberto Prize in 1891, thus launching a renewal of the traditional approach to this genre through the influence of Cesare Tallone’s work and the first photographic models. The period between 1907 and 1909 saw a stay in Patagonia, where the artist painted canvases capturing various aspects of the life of the indigenous population.