Ferdinand Bellermann
View of the City of Valencia in Venezuela
Oil on canvas. 47.5 x 73.5 cm.
Signed and dated lower left: Ferdinannd Bellermann 1856.
Alongside his more famous depictions of rainforest landscapes Ferdinand Bellermann also painted many of South America's cities.
This composition, which Bellermann painted in a very similar version in 1843 (whereabouts unknown), shows a view of the city of Valencia looking north east. The observer's gaze immediately falls on the Basílica Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Socorro at Plaza Bolivar, which clearly displays the principal characteristics of colonial architecture. Diagonally opposite, one can see the dome of the Capitolio in Plaza Sucre, which today is the seat of government of the state of Carabobo, Venezuela's smallest but most populous state. The building of the Capitolio was begun in 1764 and it was originally planned as a hospital run by nuns, but construction rested until 1779, after which the building became a girl's school under the name Convento de las Hermanas María de Carmelita.
Provenance
In Venezuelan-Spanish private ownership for over 40 years.
Literature
For more on this artist see: Exhib. cat. Beobachtung und Ideal - Ferdinand Bellermann - ein Maler aus dem Kreis um Humboldt, Angermuseum Erfurt, 12.10.2014-18.1.2015.
Exhibitions
„Arte Alemán en Venzuela“, Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, 1979. - „Bicentenario“ Galeria de Arte Nacional, Caracas, 1983