Museo del Paesaggio, Palazzo Viani Dugnani, Verbania, Italy
Location History:
The painting was created in 1894 in connection with Vittore Grubicy de Dragon's visit to Ganna following the death and burial of his friend, the sculptor Giuseppe Grandi. Grubicy used the cemetery and surrounding landscape as the subject of several related works. The painting is now preserved in the Museo del Paesaggio at Palazzo Viani Dugnani in Verbania, Italy.
Ganna Cemetery is a landscape painting by the Italian painter Vittore Grubicy de Dragon that dates back to 1894. This painting shows the cemetery of Ganna, which is a small place in the province of Varese, located in northern Italy. After the demise of one of his close friends, Giuseppe Grandi, who was a famous sculptor, and who died in 1894 and was buried in Ganna, Grubicy traveled to Ganna and drew several paintings inspired by the scenery of Ganna. This painting is an oil painting on canvas, measuring 32.2 × 50.8 centimetres.
Despite the presence of cemetery in the title of the painting, one can say that the painting is not primarily about death or any funeral scenes. On the contrary, Grubicy pays quite a lot of attention to the surrounding natural world. Nature is used to establish quite peaceful atmosphere. The cemetery is a part of the whole landscape in the painting.
It should be noted that this painting is related to the personal development of Grubicy's divisionism, which was characterized by use of touches and layering of color to produce light effect. He was interested not just in depiction of nature, but also in his emotional experience of nature.
The circumstances that led to the creation of the painting make it more meaningful. Grubicy was on friendly terms with Giuseppe Grandi, and his visit to Ganna after the death of Grandi served as a stimulus for creating this set of landscapes. As indicated in the Italian heritage catalogue, another variant of the painting entitled Che pace in Valganna! was also created using the same inspiration. According to the catalogue, the simplicity of lines and balanced composition of the landscape are what contributes to the sense of peace.
Thus, this painting combines landscape painting and personal memories. A quiet cemetery with some vegetation and overall atmosphere make this painting contemplative without any need for a narrative. This is the good example of the way Grubicy created the emotional landscape based on the real place.
The painting was created by the Italian artist "Vittore Grubicy De Dragon" following the death of his friend, the sculptor "Giuseppe Grandi", and his burial in the cemetery of Ganna, in the province of Varese in northern Italy.
Although the painting is titled "Ganna Cemetery", the cemetery is not the main focus of the painting. Instead, it appears on one side of the composition as part of a larger landscape that conveys a sense of peace and tranquility, as if death is associated with calm and rest and is presented as a natural part of the surrounding landscape.
