EUGENIO GIGNOUS | Macugnaga's church

The canvas is unlined on what appears to be the original stretcher. The dark pigments may have been somewhat thinned perhaps during a previous cleaning, however the impasto in the white snow and elsewhere appears to be well preserved. Ultra-violet light reveals an even varnish and scattered strokes of retouching, notably around the centre of the right edge, in the large tree, and small spots. The colours in the original have less of a yellow cast in reality than in the catalogue illustration.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

From 1864, Eugenio Gignous studies at the Accademia delle Belle Arti in Milan. Also, he meets the artists of the "Scapiagliatura" movement (the Italian equivalent of the French "bohème"), such as Daniele Ranzoni and Tranquillo Cremona. Both have a strong influence on his style who takes on a rather free painting technique. He begins to focus exclusively on landscape in the 1870s, experimenting with painting "en plein air" and producing views of the Lombard and Piedmontese countryside. From 1879, he paints mainly on Lake Maggiore, thus inaugurating a new thematic repertoire devoted primarily to views of the Verbano, Mottarone and val d'Ossola. Eugenio Gignous, along with Filippo Carcano, emerges as one of the leading masters of Lombard Naturalism in the 1880s. Our picture shows the church of Macugnaga, a village at the foot of Mount Rose, in the Verbano-Cusio-Ossola area in Italian Piedmont. A small view of the church of Macugnaga is kept at the Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Novara.