Ettore De Maria Bergler, Paesaggio con fiume, 1877, oil on canvas
Ettore De Maria Bergler, called the “gentleman painter”, was a very original artist full of interests. He undertook study stays in Naples, Florence and Rome, but did his apprenticeship with Francesco Lojacono, as can be seen from Landscape with a river (1877), an early painting.
Ettore De Maria Bergler, All’acqua, 1889, pastels and chalks on paper
His versatile creativity led him to experiment with various genres of art – from landscapes, to painting of figures, to portraits – and more pictorial techniques, excelling in pastels, as evidenced by All’acqua, a work of imposing dimensions depicting a young girl holding a ‘amphora on the head, in the fresco. He was also one of the major decorators of the “Palermo Felicissima” and a frequent visitor to the high society of Palermo.
Ettore De Maria Bergler, Taormina, 1907, oil on canvas
At the Venice Biennale in 1907 he presented Taormina, a monumental canvas that portrays a spring landscape of intense vitality. In the background we observe the snow-capped Etna and the colors enhanced by the warm and golden light.