Gaspare Diziani (Belluno, Italy 1689 - Venice, Italy 1767)

Born in Belluno in 1689, Gaspare Diziani studied first in Belluno and then in Venice, where he joined the workshop of Sebastiano Ricci, who greatly influenced his artistic development.

He quickly became renowned for his art and the rapidity with which he worked. This speed was especially evident in his oil sketches, where he applied colour quickly and decisively.

In 1717, Diziani accepted several commissions in Munich and Dresden, painting decorative panels and large theatre scenery. He returned to Venice permanently in 1720, remaining there for the rest of his life.

From 1748 to 1760, his output was especially prodigious; he painted numerous church altarpieces and decorations and frescoes for villas and palaces in the city and throughout the Veneto region.

His artworks addressed all pictorial themes, from landscapes, to historical portraits, to religious subjects.

In 1766, he was elected President of the Venice Academy of Painting, but died suddenly in 1767 in a coffee shop in Piazza San Marco, Venice.

Photo UniCredit Group (Sebastiano Pellion di Persano)