Giovanni Ghisolfi Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Ghisolfi, one of the most important Italian painters of the 17th century, was the first to make Capriccio an autonomous pictorial genre. Born in Milan in 1623, he grew up in an artistic family and learned the first rudiments of painting from a young age. Read the full biography

Ghisolfi, one of the most important Italian painters of the 17th century, was the first to make Capriccio an autonomous pictorial genre. Born in Milan in 1623, he grew up in an artistic family and learned the first rudiments of painting from a young age. In 1650, he moved to Rome and studied with Cortona and collaborated with Salvator Rosa, dedicating himself mainly to the representation of landscapes and architectural views.
His passion for ancient Roman monuments led him to develop a deep interest in classicism, which soon became a distinctive feature of his style. The precision with which Ghisolfi reconstructs the perspective sequences is remarkable, using dark and silvery colors for the landscapes, while the architectural details are outlined with precise and decisive touches. The figures in his works, thanks to the lessons of Salvator Rosa, are executed with great attention to detail, creating a mix of Northern Italian, Roman and Neapolitan influences.
Ghisolfi's art is a perfect combination between past and modernity, an example of how Italian baroque art manages to mix compositional elegance and innovative style.