Manuel Orazi

MANUEL ORAZI (Rome, 1860- Paris, 1934).
"Views of Istanbul," ca. 1920.
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 36 x 54 cm; 53 x 71 cm (frame).

The oil paintings on canvas depict idealized views of Istanbul centered on its religious architecture and daily life by the water: the upper scene shows an imperial mosque by the Bosphorus, probably inspired by the Üsküdar area, with its slender minaret, domes and figures strolling in a luminous and serene environment, while the lower one evokes the Golden Horn area with a large double-minaret mosque, a busy bridge or pier and boats in the foreground.

Manuel Orazi was an artist linked to Art Nouveau, active mainly in France in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He also traveled to Turkey, where he produced views of mosques such as the ones now being bid for, defined by a clear, bright light and a Mediterranean atmosphere.