Giuseppe Zais (Forno di Canale d’Agordo 1709-Treviso 1784) Two landscapes with figures Gouache on paper 43 x 51 cm each, SOLD These two beautiful, previously unpublished gouaches depict placid countryside landscapes crossed by peaceful and clear streams reflecting the blue of the sky. Leafy trees, a few houses with thatched roofs, ancient towers near and far, figures of fishermen, washerwomen, and travelers, some domestic animals and distant blue mountains bear witness to peaceful places, of idyll rather than toil, and of a slow time (so different from today), made of conversations and contemplations of nature. They are landscapes that are certainly based on observations and drawings from life, but translated and refined according to the typical ideas of Arcadia. [...] The style and high quality of these works allow us to identify the author as the Agordino painter Giuseppe Zais, probably in a period of full maturity. Several convincing comparisons can be made with the master's works: among all possible ones, I find particularly close the beautiful canvas depicting a Landscape with female figures preserved at Basildon Park (Reading), National Trust. Certainly, in two scenes like these, one can fully appreciate not only the influence of Marco Ricci, from Belluno like Zais, who was a great master also in the technique of gouache and frequented by him in Venice, but also and above all the inspiration to the delicate Arcadia of Francesco Zuccarelli. - Expertise by Alberto Cottino