(Arco 1858–1899 Schafberg near Pontresina)
Still life with pheasants, oil on panel, 61 x 30 cm, framed, (W)

Provenance:
Private Collection Switzerland.

A copy of the excerpt from the archive of the Swiss Institute for Art Research (1988) is available.

Giovanni Segantini attended evening courses in painting by way of an artistic training. Coming from difficult family circumstances, he found his calling in art. His works often deal with the representation of agricultural work, in which people and nature melt into a unity. He was inspired by the works of François Millet, which he knew, however, only from photos. Whilst the connection between them is clear, Segantini chose a brighter colour palette than Millet. The alpine landscape is consistently present throughout his œuvre. His works are characterised by an intimate connection to nature and its inhabitants. Segantini is considered to be one of the pioneers of symbolism, on account of his pointillistic style. Using this technique in his paintings allowed him to depict the limpid conditions of light so typical of mountain regions.
In his artistic oeuvre, he also devoted himself to still lifes, or natura morta, as in the present painting. The representation of nature, whether in the form of still life or landscape, was for him the expression of a realistic style.