Oil painting on canvas of a landscape, created by Giancarlo Cazzaniga in the 1970s.

 Ø cm 57 h cm 69 including frame

Giancarlo Cazzaniga (Monza, September 20, 1930 – Milan, December 5, 2013) was an Italian painter, a representative of Existential Realism. He is known for his representations of landscapes, still lifes, and human figures, often characterized by a melancholic and introspective atmosphere.

Cazzaniga dedicated himself to painting from a young age, encouraged by his father. In the 1950s, he attended the Cimabue Academy in Milan and later the Brera Academy, coming into contact with the artistic environment of existential realism, a movement that aimed to represent the human condition and its anxieties through a figurative language.
The artist was an important figure in the Milanese art scene, frequenting places like Bar Jamaica and Santa Tecla, gathering spots for artists, intellectuals, and jazz musicians. Here he met prominent personalities such as Lucio Fontana, Luciano Minguzzi, Leonardo Sciascia (with whom he formed a strong friendship), jazz musician Franco Cerri (with whom he had a long-standing friendship that allowed him to meet jazz masters like Chet Baker, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis), Giorgio Gaber, Enrico Intra, and Enzo Jannacci. This environment profoundly influenced his art and his worldview.
In the 1960s, he participated in important artistic events such as the Venice Biennale (1962) and the Rome Quadriennale, gaining national recognition.
Cazzaniga's painting is characterized by a representation of reality that is often raw and melancholic, with a particular focus on the human condition and its fragilities. His preferred subjects were urban and rural landscapes, still lifes, and human figures, often portrayed in thoughtful or solitary poses. His style, while linked to existential Realism, is distinguished by a material brushstroke and an expressive use of color, with often dark tones and chiaroscuro contrasts.
A recurring theme in his work is that of the broom, which he painted on several occasions, as well as the landscapes of Conero, a coastal area of the Marche that he particularly loved.