Italian Port Marine Scene with Sailboats Impressionist Oil Painting Signed

  

CATEGORY: Modern and Contemporary Italian Art - Neapolitan Painters of the 20th Century - Original Impressionist Art of the 20th Century. ARTIST: Mario Maresca Serra (Naples, 1912 - 1991). OBJECT: Seascape at sunset - Port scene with sailboats - Sailboats moored in the harbor - Marine scene - Italian port scene - Italian urban landscape by the sea - Neapolitan marine landscape. Signed at the bottom right Mario Maresca Serra. On the back of the canvas, the artist's signature for authentication and catalog number.

A certificate of authenticity from "La Clessidra House of Art" in Naples is also present. The work dates from the 1970s. It is presented in a precious and elegant gilded wooden frame with decorative friezes, inlaid on the outer edges with dark green colors.

Dimensions of the painting: 30 cm wide x 24 cm high. Dimensions of the frame: 58.5 cm wide x 53 cm high. This oil painting on wood by Mario Maresca Serra, dating from the 1970s, depicts a marine scene at sunset in a small port characterized by a serene and poetic atmosphere typical of Neapolitan views. The work, executed with a lively and dynamic brushstroke, captures the calm of the moment, with the sails of the boats standing out against the cloud-laden sky.

Mario Maresca Serra, a Neapolitan painter known for his representations of marine life and landscapes in the Neapolitan tradition, stands out for his ability to combine realism and impressionism. In this painting, the details of the boats and figures are highlighted with enough precision, yet they do not lose their spontaneous quality, freshness, and impressionistic immediacy, as if executed "en plein air." Mario Maresca Serra's style allows us to appreciate marine landscapes in their delicate variations of tone, contrasts of light and shadow, and reflections of light on the water.

The color palette is dominated by cool and neutral tones, such as pearl gray and soft blue, alternating with warmer touches, such as the beige of the sails, yellow, and discreet red present in some details. The sky features a play of clouds that, thanks to shades of pink and cream, suggest a veiled sunset, creating a dreamy and tranquil atmosphere.

The water reflects the colors of the environment, with brushstrokes transitioning from silver to dark green. The work presents a rich and vibrant texture, resulting from visible and layered brushwork. The surface of the water, for example, is rendered with short horizontal strokes that convey the undulating movement and light reflections. In contrast, the sails of the boats, soft and light, are emphasized by broader and smoother brushstrokes, accentuating the contrast between the solidity of the port structures and the lightness of the natural elements.

The sailboats, protagonists of the composition, are moored in the marina and offer a variety of shapes and proportions. Each boat is animated by the presence of characters, sailors, and dock workers, who seem to engage in daily activities, lending a certain vitality to the scene. In the background, urban buildings appear in dark and muted tones, providing a beautiful perspective that adds depth to the landscape scene.

By merging natural beauty and daily life in the ports of southern Italy, Mario Maresca Serra manages to create a work rich in emotions that celebrates the eternal bond between the sea and Naples. He is the continuator of Neapolitan vedutismo, this poetic vedutismo that has its roots in the Posillipo school. By looking at his paintings, one can place Maresca Serra among Pratella, Casciaro, Scoppetta, and other epigones of this typically Neapolitan school.

Mario Maresca Serra's production is a succession of open and luminous visions of countryside, sea, mountain, lush sky, and picturesque villages, mainly inspired by the timeless suggestion of the surroundings of Naples, where the real, felt through a tenacious traditional lyricism, is exalted with great skill in its most spectacular aspects and elements. For those who love the truly healthy art of the 19th-century intonation, but updated by a clever chromaticism rendered through a fresh tonal dialectic, the work of Mario Maresca Serra represents a safe landing place.

Mario Maresca Serra was born on January 25, 1912, in Naples. He began painting in childhood and continued throughout his life. He studied under Mario Borgoni and Giuseppe Giardiello.

In 1933, he organized a solo exhibition in Bari, where he achieved great success with the public and authorities. In 1934, he exhibited again in Rome, at the Angelelli Gallery, Via del Babuino, where his works generated the same enthusiasm as in Bari. On this occasion, King Vittorio Emanuele III purchased one of his canvases entitled "Marina." Later, in 1935, 1936, and 1937, he organized solo exhibitions in Calabria and Sicily.

His works are featured in several public and private art galleries in Italy and abroad, as well as in some galleries in Paris, London, and New York. In 1959, Count Paolo Gaetani d'Aragona, president of the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples, after admiring one of his works displayed in a collective exhibition in Portici (Naples), commissioned him to paint the portrait of the "Villa Olivella" in Torre del Greco. He participated in numerous local, national, and international collective exhibitions, winning medals and gold plaques. In 1966, he returned to Rome, to the Galleria S.

Marco, Via del Babuino, always enjoying great success with the press and public authorities, both civil and religious, including Jacqueline Kennedy and Monsignor Fallani, president of the National Pontifical Academy of Sacred Art, who sent him warm praise and congratulations. In 1967, he held a solo exhibition in Naples at the "La Barcaccia" gallery and participated in the artistic events of the "Naples Festival" in 1967 and 1969, presenting two highly appreciated works. He also participated in all the national biennials of sacred art. In May 1971, he presented a solo exhibition at the "Botteghina d'arte" gallery in Naples and, in November of the same year, at the "Gibbone" gallery in Bari. Important art critics have written about him.

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