LEONARDO COCCORANTE (Naples, 1680 - 1750). "Caprice ancient ruins", Oil on canvas. Relined. Presents patches and restorations. It has a XIX century frame with faults. Measurements: 72,5 x 95,5 cm; 77,5 x 104,5 cm (frame). This "Veduta" or "Capricho" offers us a panoramic landscape built from the reproduction of various monuments of classical style, to which is added the romantic concept of ruin. The work in question shows an idealized landscape in which a series of ruins of clear Roman influence stand out. Regarding the landscape genre, it is worth mentioning how, apart from the model of the Venetian "veduta", in 17th century Italy the type we see here will prevail, a landscape that starts from the classicist model created by the Carracci to evolve in a monumental and architectural line. The taste for the artistic remains of the past, the generalization of the travels of writers and artists in search of monuments and works of art that would serve as a source of inspiration, and the discovery of important ancient remains such as those of the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum undoubtedly contributed to the success of the genre. It is a pictorial genre, moreover, that has its roots in the seventeenth century, in the veduta, not always topographical, but sometimes extremely imaginative, of artists such as Canaletto and others. Leonardo Coccorante was an Italian painter known for a type of painting called capricci, which was based on the representation of imaginary landscapes with ruins of classical architecture, although he was also recognized for his work as a vedutista, that is, for the recreation of views of the city. Leonardo Coccorante was born in Naples, where he began at a young age to frequent the workshop of Nicola Casissa, the Flemish landscape painter Jan Frans van Bloemen (1662-1749), Angelo Maria Costa (1670-1721) and Gabriele Ricciardelli. He worked on numerous public and private commissions, however, as already mentioned, his most recognized work is that in which he depicted large, highly detailed landscapes, with classical architectural ruins, but of an imaginary character. He often included small figures in the foreground to emphasize the vastness of the ruins. Today his work can be visited by the public in important public collections such as the Museo Regionale Agostino Pepoli (Trapani, Italy), the Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco (Milan, Italy), the Louvre, the Musée départemental de l'Oise (Beauvais, France), the Musée de Grenoble (France). ), the Lowe Art Museum (Coral Gables, Florida) and the Honolulu Museum of Art, among many others. Dimensions 72,5 x 95,5 cm; 77,5 x 104,5 cm (frame).