Giovanni Canavesio (before 1450 – 1500) was an Italian artist, documented as a "master artist" in 1450 . He was proficient in polyptychs or panels, monumental paintings, and book illuminations. He was active in Liguria and southern France later in his life but documents of his activities before 1450 are missing.
Career
Canavesio was born in Pinerolo, Piedmont. The earliest document about Canavesio dates to 1450, when he was recorded as a "master artist" in the Piedmontese town of Pinerolo. However, there are still doubts about when Canavesio started his career. Between the registration in Piedmontese in 1450 and his first documented work in 1472, Canavesio became a priest. Later in his life, Canavesio is referred to as a "presbiter", a priest in Latin, in almost all of the documents and signed works. In Canavesio's career as a painter, Dominicans of Taggia, a major art center, patronized his art works. He completed several wall paintings and polyptychs in their houses and chapels. He was also commissioned wall paintings and polyptychs for chapter houses and refectories in the towns of Albenga, Luceram, La Brigue, Pigna, and Pornassio. Due to the chemical particularities of wall painting, he developed a seasonal schedule: panel painting in colder months and wall paintings in the warmer months, with the exception of places with mild and stable climate. For example, he finished the wall paintings of Virle and Crucifixion in Taggia in Spring. In some periods of his life, Canavesio collaborates with Giovanni Baleison whose signature appears with Canavesio's under the painting. They divided the decoration in parts and each take their own responsibility.
Works
Giovanni Canavesio appeared on documents with different orthographic names: Johannis, Johanes, de Canavexiis, Canavexi, Canavesis, or Canavesius. In French studies, he is known as Jean Canavesi while in Italy he is known as Giovanni. He often executed more than one commission per site. He based his work in the pictorial culture of western Piedmont. Canavesio had a novel approach to paintings. He borrowed design aspects from artwork in Italy, the southern Netherlands, and northern France. He was influenced by northern Piedmont paintings which often contain vivid hues, an intense light source, and an expressionistic approach to figure drawing. His style embodies pathetic and violent expression, often depicting painful, jerky gestures and movements, with cruel and horrific realism at times. He developed such style from the influence of Giacomo Jaquerio, the pioneer of an independent Piedmontese school, and shared his expressive beliefs to further consolidate his own conviction in art. His works are also composed of Germanic style which suggests his learning in Schongauer's workshop or from artists in Colmar region. Growing influence of Provençal and Niçois influence Canavesio to take approach with progressive softening of Piedmontese elements of his painting. Works created in the last few years of his career show that he was further influenced by Lombard and became closer to Ligurian art.
Canavesio used distortion of anatomy and perspective for expressive purposes in creating narrative scenes that would be understood by the public, but he was a capable artist, as shown from his tender treatment on depicting the Virgin Mary.
Notre-Dame des Fontaines
Canavesio started his work in the Chapel of Notre-Dame des Fontaines, near La Brigue, with eleven displays of Virgin's life and Christ's childhood: the Nativity of the Virgin, her Presentation in the Temple, her Marriage, the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity of Christ, his Circumcision, the Adoration of the Magi, the Massacre of the Innocents, the Flight into Egypt, and the Presentation in the Temple. For some paintings, he collaborated with Jean Baleison, for example in the ones of the choir that were discovered under a layer of whitewash in the 1950s. The inscription of the paintings on the north wall documented Canavesio's craft and completion in October 1492 but was fallen and covered by a new one that indicated Canavesio's involvement. However, it did not articulate that all the paintings were done by Canavesio, not mentioning workshops or collaborations but the general conception of the Passion Cycle would be done by Canavesio himself. The scene depicting the Virgin in the paintings of the triumphal arch would also be his collaboration with another artist. Canavesio executed the nave paintings following the tradition of Italian Renaissance practices. The gold and tinfoil he used now turned black due to oxidation but was restored around 1849.