Seated Woman in Red by Eliano Fantuzzi (Italy, 1909-1987), oil on canvas, signed, circa mid 20th Century, framed - 28 1/2" x 40"
 
Eliano Fantuzzi, born in Modena but raised and artistically trained in Verona, moved to Paris when he was still very young, fascinated by the Enlightenment trends first and then by Expressionists, and in Paris he began to exhibit and build his career. After a few years in the French army, he returned to Italy in 1943, but in 1948 he was called by the Emir Ibim Saud to decorate the Saudi palace of Taif, where he remained until 1952, frescoing the reception hall. After returning to Italy for good, he exhibited in exhibitions and biennials. Fantuzzi placed a marked emphasis on the expression of emotions and moods in his works. His figures are therefore summary, never completely defined, rather deformed into elongated forms, the faces anonymous, and placed in solitary and melancholy settings. Color dominates in his canvases in its most marked ranges, usually the cold tones of blues, greens and violets, which create sometimes violent contrasts. Fantuzzi's main themes are the solitude of the metropolis and the difficulty of communicating in interpersonal relationships.