Oil painting on canvas titled "At the Beach," created by Mario Cortiello in the '60s

Ø cm 73 h cm 66 including frame

Mario Cortiello (Naples, July 1, 1907 – San Sebastiano al Vesuvio, December 23, 1981) was an Italian painter and illustrator, considered one of the notable representatives of Neapolitan painting, so much so that he was nicknamed the "Neapolitan Chagall."

His paintings often depicted lively Neapolitan landscapes with figures, flowers, and scenes with figures and horses. He aimed to reconcile modern artistic trends with traditional Neapolitan painting. His works sometimes featured dreamlike or imaginative elements, particularly in his depictions of Pulcinella.

He was largely self-taught. He participated in the Venice Biennale several times, from a young age (from the '30s to 1948), with solo exhibitions in 1936 and 1940.
He exhibited at the Rome Quadriennale and his works are preserved in the Ricci Oddi Modern Art Gallery in Piacenza and in other collections.
In 2008, a retrospective of his works was held in Naples on the occasion of the centenary of his birth. "Chagall of Naples": this nickname comes from the imaginative and often dreamlike quality of his paintings, particularly the depictions of Pulcinella.
Although he is mainly known as a painter, Mario Cortiello created some ceramic works, including ceramic representations of Pulcinella, of which at least one known example is a signed vase 39 cm high.