Giovanni Sottocornola (Italian, 1855-1917)

Giovanni Sottocornola enrolled in the Accademia di Belle Arti in Brera in 1875, where he studied together with Gaetano Previati and Giovanni Segantini. In the 1890s he embraced the Divisionist technique. As a representative of Realism and active member of the Milanese cultural scene, his work focused mainly on social themes. At the turn of the century, Sottocornola moved towards more familiar themes, portraits and landscapes. These were also the years during which he started to apply the Divisionist technique to pastels, demonstrating a great ability in the use of colour to create graceful and intimate pictures.