Alla Rotonda

This is the sole survivor of a series of paintings produced by Rosai at the inn Alla Rotonda in Venas di Cadore and also the largest of the few known works executed that year. According to the artist’s autobiographical writings, it was painted during his stay in the town to rest on doctor’s orders far away from the trenches at the front, where he served as a volunteer. He appears to have spent a great deal of time at the Rotonda, the centrepiece of the work, where the painting was found in the attic together with other canvases produced in exchange for bed and board. Rosai also appears to have received support for his activity as a painter from an army captain, who supplied him with canvases and paint. While indebted to Cubism, this study of the building from life also displays the influence of Cézanne, which characterizes Rosai’s art as a whole. (Transl. by Paul Metcalfe per Scriptum, Roma)