Giuseppe Marletta (1892-1985) - Paesaggio rurale siciliano con casolare e fichi d'india(campagna etnea)

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• Artist: Giuseppe Marletta (Catania, 1892–1985)
The body of work by Giuseppe Marletta (Catania, 1892–Valverde, 1985) is now represented in important public and institutional collections, historic art galleries, and a steady presence on the auction market.
The Catania-born painter’s work, focused primarily on Sicilian landscapes, still lifes, and portraiture, is distributed as follows:

Institutional and public collections

Some of his works of particular monumental or historical significance became part of the State and ministry art collections during the twentieth century:
• Ministry of the Interior: Holds one of his most celebrated works, frequently cited in historical sources, Charybdis, Daughter of Poseidon.
• Period acquisitions: Historic works such as The Battle of the Grain (with which he took part in the celebrated 2nd Cremona Prize) and the painting that made him known in Rome in 1914, The Weeping Willow, have been documented in national exhibition records.

The art auction market

Works from long-established family holdings and private collections on the island regularly pass through auction houses, particularly those specializing in Sicilian and twentieth-century art (such as Catania’s Art La Rosa, Il Ponte in Milan, and Pandolfini in Florence).
The market for his works is niche but steady.
Among the lots offered at auction in recent years are:
• Etna and woodland landscapes: Such as Country Road on Mount Etna or various Woodland Landscapes (small oil paintings on board).
• Still lifes: Subjects frequently found in his mature work, on hardboard or board, such as Magnolias, Still Life with Magnolia Flowers, and Still Life with Flowers and Fruit.
• Portraits: More classically composed paintings, including Portrait of a Young Woman.
The two cities where the artist lived and worked the longest) periodically handle his oil paintings on board or canvas board, which bear witness to the highly personal use of color and light typical of the island’s twentieth-century school of painting.


Galleries and private collections

As also reported in the renowned Comanducci art dictionary, much of Marletta’s work has traditionally been carefully preserved in leading private collections in Sicily and elsewhere in Italy. Modern art galleries and Sicilian antique dealers (particularly along the Catania–Messina corridor, the two cities where the artist lived and worked the longest) periodically handle his oil paintings on board or canvas board, which bear witness to the highly personal use of color and light typical of the island’s twentieth-century school of painting.
Title of the work:
Sicilian Rural Landscape with Farmhouse and Prickly Pears (Etna countryside)
Artwork details
Technique: Oil on hardboard (Masonite)
• Signature: Signed in red at lower left, “Marletta”
• Period: Second half of the twentieth century (circa 1960s/70s)
• Condition: Excellent
. The painted surface is intact, the colors are vivid, and the paint is stable. The back of the hardboard is clean and free of moisture or structural defects.
• Artwork dimensions only: 50 x 70 cm
• Dimensions with mat: 69 x 87 cm (the elegant jute-canvas mat is included in the lot as a gift).
• Notes: The work is presented on its original hardboard panel with a period canvas mat attached directly to it. It has no outer frame or glass, ensuring safe shipping with no risk of breakage.

Description:
Splendid and quintessential oil painting on hardboard by the Catania-born master Giuseppe Marletta (1892–1985), a leading figure in twentieth-century Sicilian landscape painting. The work depicts a classic view of the Sicilian countryside, featuring an old stone farmhouse with a blue door, a rural well, and lush prickly pear cactus pads in the foreground.
The paint application is exceptionally rich and textured, with thick, vibrant palette-knife work typical of the artist’s mature style. The palette plays on the contrast between the vivid greens of the vegetation, the warm tones of the earth, and the Mediterranean light striking the building’s façade. An excellent-sized work (50 x 70 cm), highly decorative and clearly collectible, for admirers of Sicilian Post-Impressionism.
Provenance: Private family collection (inherited by the current owner from their father-in-law). The work has been held in the same private collection for approximately 60 years, ensuring lawful, traceable provenance and excellent preservation over time.
The work will be carefully packed and shipped via a trackable express courier.