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Francesco Spicuzza Paintings

Italian, American, 1883-1962
Italian-born Francesco Spicuzza was primarily a Wisconsin painter who did portraits, still-lives and local landscapes. He spent the first part of his life in near-poverty to become a painter. An eternal optimist, in 1917, the artist reported: "I am happy and my only ambition now is to paint better and better until I shall have reached the measure of the best of which I am capable." (Spicuzza, 1917, p. 22). His predilection for beach scenes germinated early: reportedly, the five-year-old boy first drew the outlines of his father's fishing boat in the sand on the seashore near their home in Sicily. After setting himself up as a fruit peddler in Milwaukee, Spicuzza's father sent for his family when Francesco was eight years old. In 1899 or 1900, Spicuzza began studying drawing and anatomy under Robert Schade (1861-1912), a painter of panoramas who had been trained in Munich under Carl Theodor von Piloty. Spicuzza was also taught by Alexander Mueller (1872-1935), a product of the Weimar and Munich academies. The earliest influences in his work appear to be from Edward H. Potthast and Maurice Prendergast, though Spicuzza never mentioned either artist. Already in August 1910, Spicuzza was described in a newspaper as "one of the most talented of Milwaukee's rising workers." He undoubtedly received lasting inspiration from his one summer study period in 1911 with John F. Carlson at the Art Students League's Summer School in Woodstock, New York. Although he executed numerous still-lives and an occasional religious work, Spicuzza is best known for his Milwaukee beach scenes populated with frolicking bathers in multi-colored attire, not unlike the images of Potthast, who used a similar technique. These beach genre scenes reflect the attitude of American impressionists who depicted the more pleasant side of life. Spicuzza manipulated a successful balance of rich pigment applied in varying degrees of impasto texture with subtle nuances of hue. Working all'aperto, he sought "the soft enticing shades of yellow, blue, green, pink and lavender . . . to get the effects of bright glistening summer air." (L.E.S., n.d.). As a painter whose color not only derived from direct observation but also from a personal theory of color symbolism, Spicuzza traded the linear approach of lithography for dynamic patches of brilliant color. Like Prendergast, he would often tilt the angle of the picture plane to bring the viewer's position above the scene. Spicuzza spent a great deal of time painting en plein air and by 1925 he began summering at Big Cedar Lake, near West Bend, Wisconsin to gather his subject matter. During the difficult era of the Depression, patrons came to Spicuzza's aid and during the 40s, he taught housewives, businessmen and students at the Milwaukee Art Institute, the Milwaukee Art Center, and in his studio. In the following decade, although his kind of art was no longer popular in the "make-it-or-break-it" New York gallery world, Spicuzza enjoyed regular patronage and sales. Bio by Richard H. Love and Michael Preston Worley, Ph.D.
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Artist: Francesco Spicuzza
"Cabin on Lake Michigan Shore, " Oil on Board signed by Francesco Spicuzza
"Cabin on Lake Michigan Shore, " Oil on Board signed by Francesco Spicuzza

"Cabin on Lake Michigan Shore, " Oil on Board signed by Francesco Spicuzza

By Francesco Spicuzza

Located in Milwaukee, WI

"Cabin on Lake Michigan Shore" is an original oil painting on board by Francesco Spicuzza. The artist signed the piece in the lower left. It depicts a small cabin on the lakeshore surrounded by bright vegetation. 14" x 20" art 22 3/4" x 29" frame Francesco J. Spicuzza, born in Sicily on July 23, 1883, came to America at the age of 8. He supported himself as a fruit peddler until a newspaperman gave him $4 a week to go to school. He attended classes at the Milwaukee Art Students League, where he studied under Alexander Mueller. There he learned to paint in the then-fashionable "Munich School" technique, with detailed realism in heavy browns and grayed-out hues. Spicuzza completed eight grades in four years, and then in 1911, three businessmen advanced him enough money to allow him to study in New York under artist and teacher John Carlson. It was during this time that Spicuzza changed his style of painting, developing an impressionistic use of color, form and atmospheric renditions. After a period of grinding poverty, one of Spicuzza's pictures won a major New York competition. It was the first of 60 wins, both in the U.S. and Paris. He became a fashionable painter, and many of the leading collections have his work. Spicuzza's typical works were beach scenes, still life, landscapes and portraits done in pastels, oils, ink, charcoal and watercolors. Much of his work traced the history of Milwaukee in the early 1900s. He was probably best known for his scenes of women and children splashing in the waves...

Category

1930s Francesco Spicuzza Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"Lake Michigan Shore, " Oil on Board, Signed
"Lake Michigan Shore, " Oil on Board, Signed

"Lake Michigan Shore, " Oil on Board, Signed

By Francesco Spicuzza

Located in Milwaukee, WI

"Lake Michigan Shore" is an original oil painting on board by Francesco Spicuzza. The artist shows the impact of Impressionism in his landscapes from around 1930. "Lake Michigan Shor...

Category

1930s Francesco Spicuzza Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

20th century oil painting self portrait male subject glasses pipe signed
20th century oil painting self portrait male subject glasses pipe signed

20th century oil painting self portrait male subject glasses pipe signed

By Francesco Spicuzza

Located in Milwaukee, WI

"Self Portrait" is an original oil painting on masonite board by Francesco Spicuzza. The artist signed the piece in the lower left. It depicts the artist holding a pipe in front of a...

Category

1940s Francesco Spicuzza Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Early 20th century colorful seaside landscape pastel figures bench trees signed
Early 20th century colorful seaside landscape pastel figures bench trees signed

Early 20th century colorful seaside landscape pastel figures bench trees signed

By Francesco Spicuzza

Located in Milwaukee, WI

"Couple on Bench at the Beach" is an original pastel drawing on paperboard by Francesco Spicuzza. The artist signed the piece in the lower left. This drawing depicts two figures sitting on a bench in front of a body of water. The artist used mostly pastel colors for this piece. 6 7/8" x 9 7/8" art 18 1/2" x 21 3/8" frame Francesco J. Spicuzza, born in Sicily on July 23, 1883, came to America at the age of 8. He supported himself as a fruit peddler until a newspaperman gave him $4 a week to go to school. He attended classes at the Milwaukee Art Students League, where he studied under Alexander Mueller. There he learned to paint in the then-fashionable "Munich School" technique, with detailed realism in heavy browns and grayed-out hues. Spicuzza completed eight grades in four years, and then in 1911, three businessmen advanced him enough money to allow him to study in New York under artist and teacher John Carlson. It was during this time that Spicuzza changed his style of painting, developing an impressionistic use of color, form and atmospheric renditions. After a period of grinding poverty, one of Spicuzza's pictures won a major New York competition. It was the first of 60 wins, both in the U.S. and Paris. He became a fashionable painter, and many of the leading collections have his work. Spicuzza's typical works were beach scenes, still life, landscapes and portraits done in pastels, oils, ink, charcoal and watercolors. Much of his work traced the history of Milwaukee in the early 1900s. He was probably best known for his scenes of women and children splashing in the waves...

Category

1910s Impressionist Francesco Spicuzza Paintings

Materials

Paper, Pastel, Board

"Rocky Shore, " Oil on Board Abstract Landscape Signed
"Rocky Shore, " Oil on Board Abstract Landscape Signed

"Rocky Shore, " Oil on Board Abstract Landscape Signed

By Francesco Spicuzza

Located in Milwaukee, WI

"Rocky Shore" is an original oil painting on board by Francesco Spicuzza. The artist signed the piece with his signature stamp in the lower right. Land and water are clearly demarcat...

Category

1930s Francesco Spicuzza Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

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Previously Available Items
'Little Mary Spicuzza' signed oil painting of the artist's niece
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Francesco Spicuzza paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Francesco Spicuzza paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Francesco Spicuzza in oil paint, paint, board and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Impressionist style. Not every interior allows for large Francesco Spicuzza paintings, so small editions measuring 18 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Paul Bernard King, Victor Gabriel Gilbert, and Louis Aston Knight. Francesco Spicuzza paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $3,780 and tops out at $33,000, while the average work can sell for $13,500.