-Painted in 1891 by Giovanni Segantini in Switzerland
-The Punishment of Lust was purchased in 1893 by the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
-Before its first public display, the museum retitled it The Punishment of Luxury to suit Victorian sensibilities, although the original Italian title referred to lust (lussuria)
-The painting is in the permanent collection of the Walker Art Gallery ever since
Giovanni Segantini (1858-1899) was an infamous pioneer of Alpine landscape painting and a leading artist during the Symbolist movement of the ‘fin de siècle’ (end of century). Giovanni endured a troublesome childhood, born in Arco, he was living under Austrian Empire rule. His early life was highlighted by poverty, early loss of both parents, and years of being without citizenship in any country. After receiving his formal education from the Brera Academy of Milan, he focused on illustrating rural life and the natural world by dismissing the standard academic conventions. He was a resident of the Brianza region and later moved to the Swiss Alps, where the prestigious mountain ranges became the defining landscapes of his artworks.
He used fine filament-like brush strokes, inspired by Italian Divisionism, for heightening colour and light. Segantini then combined that said technique with the themes of Symbolism— exploring life, nature, and spirituality. He expanded his domain into the field of photography that encouraged him to hone his experience with light and texture. The cold and harsh outdoor conditions in the Alps helped Segantini to produce some of the most beautiful landscapes of Europe. Giovanni died in 1899 due to peritonitis which left his painting of Alpine Triptych unfinished.
The Punishment of Lust (La Punizione della Lussuria), painted by Giovanni Segantini in 1891, is among the first Symbolist paintings done by him and is a segment of the Nirvana Cycle (1891–1896), inspired by the poem Nirvana by Luigi Illica. In this painting, the souls of two women appear to be drifting in a desolate, snowy Alpine landscape, symbolising those women who ignored their motherhood. As Giovanni was deeply religious and suffered the loss of his mother at an early age, he saw motherhood with compassion and sympathy rather than an obligation.
The somber foreground covered with its barren, lifeless trees is indicative of spiritual torment and the consequences of their decisions, whereas the bright and radiant landscape of Alps symbolise hope of salvation. This juxtaposition of the wintry surroundings against the bright mountains highlights the progression from remorse to peace. Using his Divisionism in combination with his Symbolism, Segantini has created an emotive and allegorical representation of spirituality, suffering, and salvation through the Alps
The story behind the painting and its relation to the poem Nirvana by Luigi Illica enhance the already extremely interesting painting presented. The way the artist decided to represent the purgatory in such a cold and deserted landscape, in contrast to the beautiful mountains of the Alps in the background, which represent the salvation, it's such a powerful narrative on how close the mountains can be seen, but how far in reality they are. The souls of the women drifting apart without any guidance, being lost in the white snow and overpowered by the landscape, brings the viewer a difficult feeling, as the painting becomes one and they become one more element of it.
