Gennaro Favai

Biography

Gennaro Favai was born in Venice in 1879, son of Luigi Favai and contessa Teresa Albrizzi. In his formative years Favai studied the old masters; the Dutch and Spanish schools of the seventeenth century, the English school of the eighteenth century, and the French school of the nineteenth century (Borgmeyer 1912). Around 1895, shortly after enrolling in the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, Favai was expelled. He continued to study under Vittore Zanetti Zilla, and formed a long lasting friendship with Mario de Maria. In 1898 Favai first exhibited work in the Società Promotrice Firenze, Firenze, Italy. Favai received increasing exposure through the 1904 St Louis Exposition, in the Paris Salon Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts 1905 exposition, and the 1907 Venice Biennale. In 1912, art critic Charles Louis Borgmeyer wrote an article on Favai’s early works in the Fine Arts Journal (Borgmeyer 1912).

Favai lived in Taormina and Syracuse from 1915 through 1917, followed by Capri in 1919. The exposure to these environs are central to his development of a new expression of landscape. Representation of this period is presented in the works published under the title Costa amalfitana: 50 disegni (Favai 1925) and 56 disegni dell'isola di Capri nel 1930 (Favai 1930). Favai continued to work until his death in 1958.

His works have been thematically divided into three main groups: The Venetian Views, The Core, and The Birds Eye View. The first theme, referred to as the Venetian views are composed of street scenes and Venetian nightlife. Second theme, The Core, is heavily influenced Favai’s travels between the Amalfi Coast, Taormina, Syracuse, Capri, Rome, and Algiers. The exposure of these trips resulted in a new expression of the landscape and is marked by intense colors and strong contrasts between light and dark. The last theme, the “The Birds Eye View,” is represented by overviews and cityscapes of Venice.

Exhibitions

2012 - Museo del Paesaggio / UTOPIA DEL SEMBIANT: Il Paesaggio nei paesaggi

2012 - Ca’ Pesaro International Gallery of Modern Art / GENNARO FAVAI: visioni e orizzonti 1879-1958

2015 - Palazzo Roverella / IL DEMONE DELLA MODERNITÀ