Eugenio Scorzelli (1890-1958) - Ingresso villa comunale con pioggia

Magnificent oil painting on canvas, 40 x 64 cm (total size with frame 66 x 91), by the master Eugenio Scorzelli (1890-1958). Biography.
Born as Arturo in Buenos Aires, he was the son of Raffaele and Clelia Bruscheri. In 1906, at just sixteen years old, he moved to Italy with his father, who was now separated, to return to his homeland, Cilento, in Roccadaspide.
From a very poor family, he was placed in a boarding school but was often removed due to late payments, which affected him emotionally and health-wise. An uncle, Eugenio, later took care of him, and out of gratitude, he changed his name to Eugenio, signing all his paintings with it in the future. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples, becoming a student among others of Michele Cammarano, Domenico Morelli, and Filippo Palizzi. In Naples, he lived with his father in an old house that he used as a studio, where he received visits from Neapolitan artists such as Salvatore Di Giacomo, his first buyer, Luigi Crisconio, Michele Cammarano. Also in Naples, he met and married Teresa Benassi, who would always be his muse and who gave him a son, Lello Scorzelli.
Al Gambrinus, the well-known café and gathering place for Neapolitan artists who organized exhibitions there, Scorzelli was often among the exhibiting artists. With the painting 'Uscita dalla messa,' he participated in the first national exhibition of the Biennale of Art in the city of Naples in 1921. After completing his studies, he returned to Argentina in the early twenties, where his paintings gained success and their sales quickly provided him with the financial security needed to undertake new journeys in Europe. The stages of his Grand Tour in the years to come led him to spend extended periods especially in London, Paris, and the Netherlands. In 1926, he participated with the painting 'Women at Work' in the Venice Biennale. In 1927, he took part in the Gruppo Flegreo of Neapolitan painting. In 1937, Carlo Siviero appointed him assistant to the chair of painting at the Accademia di Brera, a position he held for 15 years before continuing at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples.
In May 1940, he was called upon to fresco the Pavilion of the Maritime Republics at the Mostra d'Oltremare in Naples, an exhibition that aimed to highlight, during the fascist period, the policies implemented by the regime in the territories of East Africa, Libya, Albania, and the Italian Aegean Islands. The work did not survive the bombings of World War II and only a photographic reproduction from that era remains.
Exhibited in Naples, Venice, and Milan until the 1940s. He died while painting his wife's face in his studio. His paintings are housed in galleries and museums throughout Europe: at Palazzo Zapata in Naples, at the Galleria Vittoria Colonna in Naples, at the Conservatorio di San Pietro a Majella, at Palazzo S. Giacomo in Naples, in London, Paris, and Brussels. The painting depicts the entrance of a municipal villa on a rainy day, probably the villa in Naples. It is signed in the lower left corner and is in good condition with minor signs of aging. The estimated period of creation is likely 1930/1950. The painting comes with a contemporary frame showing many signs of aging (the frame is included as a gift). On the back, there is a label bearing the title of the work. The painting is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and legitimate provenance issued by a prominent Italian auction house. On the back, there is a biography of the artist, a label, and a certificate from the auction house. Provenance: private collection. Tracked shipping.