Ars Adriatica, No. 11, 2021.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.15291/aa.3556
A Contribution to the Opus of Painter Basi Ivancovich (Ivanković): Portraits of the Sailing Ship Prima Donna and the Steamship Vera (ex Vercingetorex)
Željko Brguljan
orcid.org/0000-0003-2965-1459
; independent researcher
Abstract
After an introductory part on the emergence of ship portraiture and the important portraitists of ships active in the Mediterranean ports, especially those who painted ships owned or commanded by captains from the maritime centres of the Eastern Adriatic from Trieste to Kotor, the article deals with the person and work of Bazi Ivanković (1815-1898), a naval captain originally from the southern Adriatic who in the second half of the 19th century became the most prolific ship painter in Trieste. Our persistent research has resulted in the attribution of 276 paintings to this artist, an oeuvre that further illuminates and especially illustrates the maritime past of the Eastern Adriatic, as well as the history of the steamship company Austrian Lloyd of Trieste. Portraits of the sailing ship Prima Donna and the steamship Vera (ex Vercingetorex) have been added to the catalogue of Ivanković’s works. The artist painted both ships in his advanced age, and the obvious difference in the evoked atmosphere (the first calm, the second lively) has prompted an artistic analysis as well as research on the maritime-historical context, which is always necessary when it comes to ship portraiture. The visual analysis of the two paintings by Ivanković has thus been enriched by information on the painted ships, adding interesting navigational biographies to their exciting visual portraits.
Keywords
Basi (Basilio) Ivancovich; marine painting; ship portraiture; late 19th century; New York-Dubrovnik sailing ship Prima Donna; French-British steamship Vera (ex Vercingetorex)
Hrčak ID:
269673
URI
Publication date:
30.12.2021.
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