Rolf Armstrong

Tell Me Why

1919

A French art deco pastel portrait by Louis-Jean Beaupuy. The work is signed and dated bottom right. Presented in carved and gilded wood frame. Beaupuy has captured all the charm and...

Portrait of a young boy, impressionist painting. Dimensions WITHOUT frame in cm 32 x 42

Tribute to Artists 17 is a unique painting by contemporary artist Hongyu Zhang. The painting is made with Indian ink, acrylic, charcoal, pastel and engraving on gray cardboard mounte...

This charming pastel painting on paper was designed by Pio Santini (1908-1986) and named nude with lace. The signature, Santini, can be found in the bottom left corner of the artwork. The artwork depicts a lovely romantic composition with a nude young lady kneeling and holding a piece of white lace. The artist used a Flamboyant magenta-red drape background. The painting remains in its original frame, which features delicately carved wood, a gesso finish, an off-white wood liner, and glass protection. The piece is in good condition but has a dark stain and some small chips on the edges of the original wood frame. Measurements: With frame: 22.75 in wide (58 cm) x 26 in high (66 cm) Opening view: 14.50 in wide (36.5 cm) x 17.75 in (45 cm). Artist Biography: Pio Santini (1908-1986) Pio Santini was born on April 17, 1908, close to Rome, in Tivoli, Italy. He had a keen and early taste in art, starting with painting and drawing. From his childhood drawings, as early as 5 or 6 years old, he was gifted and had a technique above the average. As early as 1933, Pio Santini moved to Paris, in the Montparnasse district, also known as The Artists Area, where he settled in his first Parisian studio. He is recognized as a member of the Academy of Paris, a significant art movement in the first half of the 20th century, alongside Amedeo Modigliani and other Italian artists. While attending the classes of the Estienne School for further training in plastic art, Pio Santini started to attract attention in various Parisian Salons (particularly the Winter Salon, the Independents Salon, and the French Artists Salon.) According to the newspapers of his time, he gained a position in the Parisian painting community. The Second World War, which pitted his country of birth against his adopted nation, created conflicting emotions in him. During this time, the concept of a united and reconciled Europe took root in his mind. In a way, he played a part in resuming cultural exchanges between France and Italy by founding the association The Romans in Paris after the war and especially by creating and animating the Villa D’Este's Prize for about ten years. This award gives a month's stay at the Villa in Tivoli to a French writer or artist each year. Later, in the same way, the Montparnasse Prize would reward Italian artists in Paris. He worked as an art illustrator for editions and press while focusing on painting, and he left us rich but underappreciated work from this period. In the early 1960s, Pio Santini decided, imperiously and bravely, to live on his painting. A member of the Society of Independent Artists since 1934, he then actively participated in numerous collective exhibitions in France and abroad. He regularly exhibited in Parisian Salons, most of which he was a member: the Independents Salon, the Autumn Salon, the Winter Salon, the National Salon of the Fine Arts, and the Comparison Salon. He frequently received awards for participating in the esteemed Salon des Artistes Français. Winning the Ernest Marché Prize in 1974, a gold medal in 1971, and The Great Price of the Salon in 1970 and 1974. Pio Santini lived his last years in his house in Garches, near Paris. He worked there until the last moment and died of illness at the age of 78. Keeping himself a part of the avant-garde of contemporary art, Pio Santini developed a personal work of formal coherence very steadily. He is a two-time artist, one of the beginnings of his career in the Thirties and the other one, his rebirth, the Sixties, when the artist could again devote himself to painting. Santini's artistic development was severely impacted by the Second World War. However, things had begun under the best circumstances for the young painter, whose 1928 self-portrait is a declaration of his determination to dedicate himself to painting. His tastes were served well by the resurgence of figurative and sensual...