Giuseppe Antonio Petrini

1677 – 1756

Swiss painter. Now considered one of the most gifted and original artists of the Baroque from the Italian region in Switzerland, he was almost totally unknown before the exhibition of his work held at Lugano in 1960. However, neither a precise chronology of his life nor a comprehensive catalogue of his paintings has yet been established. He studied with Bartolomeo Guidobono after 1700. His early works also suggest other Lombard, Venetian and Roman influences. His late works imply a knowledge of mystic Spanish painting, especially in the austere settings he favoured. He painted works in Como, Bergamo and perhaps Milan, but most of his pictures are located in Lugano and the surrounding area. He is also listed in at least three documents between 1711 and 1753 as fabbriciere of the church of Madonna d'Onegro, Carona, suggesting he had some architectural training.

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