19 Works, Today, January 15th is Giovanni Segantini's day, his story, illustrated #015

Giovanni Segantini (Italian, 1858–1899)

Detail; The vanity, c. 1897

Oil on canvas

61 x 45.7 cm

Kunsthaus Zürich

Giovanni Segantini (15 January 1858 – 28 September 1899) was one of the most famous artists in Europe in the late 19th century. He was an Italian painter known for his large pastoral landscapes of the Alps. 

Giovanni was born at Arco in Trentino, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During the first seven years of his life, his father, a tradesman, traveled extensively looking for work. Segantini spent his early years with his mother, who experienced severe depression. These years were marked by poverty, hunger and limited education.

Giovanni Segantini  (1858–1899) 

The Punishment of Lust, c. 1891

Oil on canvas

Height: 99 cm (38.9 in); Width: 172.8 cm (68 in)

Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

Segantini's  Punishment of Lust was an early entry in a thematic series on cattive madri (bad mothers) that he produced between 1891 and 1896 (the Nirvana cycle). Taking its inspiration from Nirvana published in 1889 – a translation from the 12th-century Indian Panghiavahli of Maironpada, it shows women being punished for preferring a life of ease over a life of duty by being suspended among the barren landscape of the Alps. 

Segantini's longing for the mother who had died when he was a child coupled with his resentment at losing her may be reflected in this dichotomous approach to the theme of motherhood. More no this painting

In the spring of 1865, his mother died. His father left Giovanni under the care of Irene, his second child from a previous marriage, and again traveled in search of work. He died a year later. Without money from her father, Irene lived in extreme poverty.

Irene hoped to improve her life by moving to Milan, and in late 1865 she submitted an application to relinquish Austrian citizenship for both her brother and her. 

Giovanni Segantini  (1858–1899)

Love at the Fountain of Life, c. 1896

Oil on canvas

70 x 98 cm

Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Milan

At age seven, Segantini ran away and was later found living on the streets of Milan. The police committed him to the Marchiondi Reformatory, where he learned basic cobbling skills. A chaplain at the reformatory noticed that he could draw quite well, and he encouraged this talent in an attempt to lift his self-esteem.

In 1873, Segantini's half-brother Napoleon claimed him from the reformatory, and for the next year Segantini lived with Napoleon in Trentino. Napoleon ran a photography studio, and Segantini learned the basics of this relatively new art form.

Giovanni Segantini  (1858–1899)

Il Naviglio a Ponte San Marco, c. 1880

Oil on canvas, 

76 x 52.5 cm

Private collection

Il Naviglio a Ponte San Marco was painted when Segantini was still a student in Brera.

The following year, Segantini returned to Milan and attended classes at the Brera Academy. While there, he became friends with members from a transformative movement known as Scapigliatura.

Giovanni Segantini  (1858–1899)

The Chancel of Sant Antonio (Il Coro di Sant'Antonio) c. 1879

Oil on canvas

Galleries of Piazza Scala,  Milan, Italy

His first major painting, The Chancel of Sant Antonio (Il Coro di Sant'Antonio), was noticed for its powerful quality, and in 1879 it was acquired by Milan's Società per le Belle Arti. That work attracted the attention of painter and gallery owner Vittore Grubicy de Dragon, who became his advisor, dealer and his life-long financial supporter. 

Giovanni Segantini (1858-1899)

The First Mass, c. 1885-1886

Oil on canvas

108 x 211 cm

Segantini Museum, St-Moritz

That same year, he met Bugatti's sister, Luigia Pierina Bugatti (1862–1938), known as "Bice", and they began a life-long romance. Segantini was thoroughly devoted to Bice throughout his life.

In 1880, he and Bice moved to Pusiano and soon thereafter to the village of Carella, where they shared a house with their friend Longoni. It was in this mountain scenery that Segantini began to paint en plein air, preferring to work in the outdoors than in a studio. While he worked outside, Bice would read to him, and eventually he learned to read and write. Later he would write articles for Italian art magazines, and he was a prolific letter writer to Bice when he traveled and to other artists throughout Europe.

Giovanni Segantini  (1858–1899)

Ave Maria a trasbordo (Versione II), c. 1886

Oil on canvas

cm 120x93

Florence's San Lorenzo neighborhood

At this time, he painted the first version of Ave Maria (Segantini Museum, St. Moritz), which took a gold medal at the 1883 World's Fair in Amsterdam. As his fame rose, Segantini entered into a formal agreement with the Grubicys to be the sole representatives of his work. While this allowed Segantini more freedom to pursue his artistry, the dealers were consistently slow in fulfilling their financial obligations to the artists. The family struggled for many years in relative poverty. 

Giovanni Segantini

Midday in the Alps, c, 1892

Model; Barbara "Baba" Uffer, Segantini's maid, muse and model

Oil on canvas

85.5x79.5cm

Ohara Museum of Art, Kurashiki, Japan

Giovanni Segantini  (1858-1899)

Knitting girl, c. 1888

Model; Barbara "Baba" Uffer, Segantini's maid, muse and model

Oil on canvas

Height : 53.0 cm; Width : 91.6 cm

Kunsthaus, Zurich

Giovanni Segantini

Spring in the Alps, c. 1899

Model; Barbara "Baba" Uffer, Segantini's maid, muse and model

Oil on canvas

116 × 227 cm (45 11/16 × 89 3/8 in.)

The J. Paul Getty Museum

To help Bice care for his family, Segantini employed a young maid, Barbara "Baba" Uffer, who also became his favorite model for his paintings. Baba stayed with the family throughout their periods of penury and many households.

Giovanni Segantini, (1858–1899)

Die beiden Mütter/ Mother, c. 1889

Model; Barbara "Baba" Uffer, Segantini's maid, muse and model

Oil on canvas

Galleria d'arte moderna di Milano

Giovanni Segantini, (1858–1899)

After a Storm in the Alps

Oil on canvas

I have no further description, at this time

Giovanni Segantini (Italian, 1858–1899)

Bacio alla croce/ Kissing the Cross) , ca. 1886–1888

Pastel on board

85.1 x 50.3 cm. (33.5 x 19.8 in.)

Private collection

During this period Segantini produced several important paintings using Baba as a model, including Mothers, After a Storm in the Alps, A Kiss and Moonlight Effect (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rouen).

Giovanni Segantini  (1858–1899)

Ploughing, c. 1890

Oil on canvas

Height: 117.6 cm (46.2 in); Width: 227 cm (89.3 in)

Neue Pinakothek, München.

In 1886, Segantini moved his family to Savognin, Graubünden. From November, 1886, to March, 1887, Grubicy stayed with the Segantinis in their new home. Grubicy suggested that Segantini further separate his colors in order to increase their brilliance, he Divisionist painting technique. The artist applied this advice. His bolder style was immediately acclaimed by audiences; Segantini received gold medals in Munich (for Midday in the Alps) and Turin (for Ploughing). The following year the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool purchased his major painting, The Punishment of Lust.

Giovanni Segantini (Italian, 1858–1899)

Midday in the Alps, c. 1891

Oil on canvas

77.5x71.5cm

Segantini Museum, St. Moritz

He moved his family to the Engadin valley in another part of Switzerland. There the high mountain passes and clear light become his chief subject matter for the next five years.

Giovanni Segantini (Italian, 1858–1899)

The vanity, c. 1897

Oil on canvas

61 x 45.7 cm

Kunsthaus Zürich

He began to study philosophy, concentrating on those writers who questioned the meaning of life and one's place in the natural world. He became so fascinated with Nietzsche, that he drew an illustration for the first Italian translation of Thus Spoke Zarathustra.


He made the acquaintance of Giovanni Giacometti, father of Alberto Giacometti, and an artist in his own right. Giacometti would later paint a portrait of Segantini on his death bed and complete some of Segantini's unfinished works posthumously. 

Giovanni Segantini  (1858–1899)

Life, c. 1898-1899

Oil on canvas

Height: 190 cm (74.8 in); Width: 320 cm (10.4 ft)

Segantini Museum, St. Moritz, Switzerland

Giovanni Segantini  (1858–1899)

Nature, c. 1898-1899

Oil on canvas

Height: 235 cm (92.5 in); Width: 400 cm (13.1 ft)

Segantini Museum, St. Moritz, Switzerland

Giovanni Segantini  (1858–1899)

Death, c. 1898-1899

Oil on canvas

Height: 190 cm (74.8 in); Width: 320 cm (10.4 ft)

Segantini Museum, St. Moritz, Switzerland

In 1897, Segantini was commissioned by a group of local hotels to build a huge panorama of the Engadin valley. Segantini designed the concept into a large triptych known as Life, Nature and Death, which is now his most famous work. He continued to work on it until his death.

Segantini's importance as an international artist was further established that same year, when the Austrian state financed a luxury monograph on his work. Museums throughout Europe vied to buy his paintings, including The Comfort of Faith, and The Bad Mothers.

Giovanni Segantini  (1858–1899)

The Evil Mothers, c. 1894

Oil on canvas

Height: 105 cm (41.3 in); Width: 200 cm (78.7 in)

The Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, Austria.

Giovanni Segantini  (1858–1899)

Detail; The Evil Mothers, c. 1894

Oil on canvas

Height: 105 cm (41.3 in); Width: 200 cm (78.7 in)

The Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, Austria.

Eager to finish the third part of his large tryptich, Nature (Segantini Museum, St. Moritz) Segantini returned to the high altitude of the mountains near Schafberg. The pace of his work, coupled with the high altitude, affected his health, and in mid-September he became ill with acute peritonitis. Two weeks later he died. His son Mario and his partner Bice were with him at his death bed. More on Giovanni Segantini

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.