Lot 93: Ioannis Altamoura , Greek 1852-78 the frigate "sjelland" oil on canvas

signed and dated 1872 lower right oil on canvas

44 by 61cm., 17¼ by 24in.

Gundermann, Copenhagen

Though he died at the early age of 26, Ioannis Altamoura's talents ensured that he is remembered as one of the finest Greek marine painters of his generation, ranked alongside Volanakis and Chatzis.

Both of Altamouras' parents were respected painters, and his precocious artistic talent and inclination were encouraged from a young age, culminating in his studies at the School of Fine Arts in Athens under Nikiforos Lytras after which he was sent by King George I to Copenhagen on a painting scholarship. Ironically Altamoura's passion for seascapes brought his life to a premature end, when a long-term chest ailment was aggravated by his studies in Denmark and his time exposed to the pernicious seaside climate in Greece.

The present work is an image that was re-visited by the artist in different mediums (fig.1). It typifies the distinctive atmospheric effects and silvery haze for which Altamouras' seascapes are known, and has a certain lyricism, freshness and immediacy which reflect his exposure to the currents of early Impressionism. His seascapes have a crisp lightheartedness and sensitivity to atmospheric change, whether they illustrate the harbours, steamships and sailing-vessels of the North or of the Aegean.

FIG. 1, Ioannis Altamoura, Fregate Sjelland, watercolour and pencil on paper, 39 by 55cm., Private Collection
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