Guido Odierna

Guido Odierna noted painter, born November 13th, 1913 in Capri, Italy, known for his seascapes in oil, landscapes, still lifes, botanical, coastal and fishing boat scenes in places such as Capri, Naples, Florence, Rome, the Amalfi coast and Venice. Odierna studied at the Royal Academy and with the great seascape painter Cavalier Michele Federico (Italian, 1884–1966), and also in the studio of artist Konstantin Ivanovich Gorbatov (Russian, 1876–1945) who was one of the outstanding painters of Capri (sometimes listed as Constantin Ivanovich Gorbatoff). In Odierna’s paintings, he interpreted and captured Capri with her fierce rocks and seaside cliffs along the translucent sea, the mountains of the Piemonte region (or Piedmont) which starkly rise into the blue sky, the golden glow of Rome and the mother of pearl hues of Venice--all with equal poetic passion. His love of the sea shows in his seascapes, where the waters take on their personalities. The waters of Capri, Trieste, Chioggia and Venice all feature prismatic impressions and sensations within his paintings along with expressed inspiration and fine technique - truly, a master of his palette and brush. Odierna’s paintings of Capri depict many different areas of the island and made up a large part of his body of work. He lived in Capri and maintained his art gallery & studio there located at Viale Certosa, 19 throughout the summer season with his family. When in Capri he would often climb down over the rocks to the sea and take in its majestic beauty which “…explains the underlying inspiration of the artist, his affinity with nature, his choice of companions whose gaze, rustling movements, or silence, is the language of understanding” During the winters, Odierna maintained his other art gallery & studio in Rome located at Via Ezio, 24 where he displayed and sold his works along with other artists that he represented. He had over 35 solo exhibitions during his career, in places such as Rome, Milan, Turin, Genoa, Biella, Vercelli, Catania, Trieste, and group exhibitions in France and the U.S. Walter Meibohm would often visit Odierna and his family on his regular art buying trips to Europe and purchase his works along with paintings by his represented artists. The Meibohm family maintained a working relationship and friendship with the Odierna's even after Walter stopped traveling to Europe in the late 1970s.

It could be argued that cave walls were the canvases for the world’s first landscape paintings, which depict and elevate natural scenery through art, but there is a richer history to consider.

The Netherlands was home to landscapes as a major theme in painting as early as the 1500s, and ink-on-silk paintings in China featured mountains and large bodies of water as far back as the third century. Greeks created vast wall paintings that depicted landscapes and grandiose garden scenes, while in the late 15th century and early 16th century, landscapes were increasingly the subject of watercolor works by the likes of Leonardo da Vinci and Fra Bartolomeo.

The popularity of religious paintings eventually declined altogether, and by the early 19th century, painters of classical landscapes took to painting out-of-doors (plein-air painting). Paintings of natural scenery were increasingly realistic but romanticized too. Into the 20th century, landscapes remained a major theme for many artists, and while the term “landscape painting” may call to mind images of lush, grassy fields and open seascapes, the genre is characterized by more variety, colors and diverse styles than you may think. Painters working in the photorealist style of landscape painting, for example, seek to create works so lifelike that you may confuse their paint for camera pixels. But if you’re shopping for art to outfit an important room, the work needs to be something with a bit of gravitas (and the right frame is important, too).

Adding a landscape painting to your home can introduce peace and serenity within the confines of your own space. (Some may think of it as an aspirational window of sorts rather than a canvas.) Abstract landscape paintings by the likes of Korean painter Seungyoon Choi or Georgia-based artist Katherine Sandoz, on the other hand, bring pops of color and movement into a room. These landscapes refuse to serve as a background. Elsewhere, Adam Straus’s technology-inspired paintings highlight how our extreme involvement with our devices has removed us from the glory of the world around us. Influenced by modern life and steeped in social commentary, Straus’s landscape paintings make us see our surroundings anew.

Whether you’re seeking works by the world’s most notable names or those authored by underground legends, find a vast collection of landscape paintings on 1stDibs.