Con papillon a Venezia (1970) Schilderij door El Giovanin

El Giovanin was born in Venice on June 8th, 1932. The full name being Giovanni Battista Pellegrini, he used to sign his paintings as Giobatta and was known among his friends as El Giovanin. Exponent of the Art Brut, he spent most of his life in Venice, studying at the Livio Sanudo, "but not to become a teacher", as he wrote on the back of a painting.

When he was in his twenties, El Giovanin had a breakdown. Ospedalized first in the psychiatric hospital of San Servolo, then in San Clemente, his sister witnessed the desperate conditions he was living in and decided to bring him back home. That's the time when he started painting (the first drawing being dated 1963).

El Giovanin's typical subjects are landscapes from the Dolomites, portraits and in particular self-portraits. For his paintings he uses acrylic, charcoal, watercolor, most of the times on paper, sometimes on cardboard or wood. He died in Venice on July 22nd 2002, aged 70. You can visit him in the San Michele Cemetery, where he is buried.

• Nationaliteit: ITALIË
• Geboortedatum : 1932
• Artistieke domeinen:
• Groepen: Hedendaagse Italiaanse Kunstenaars