FORTUNINO MATANIA (1881-1963) SOUTHPORT. Circa 1935. 38 3/4x49 1/4 inches, 98 1/2x125 cm. S.C. Allen & Company, Ltd., London. Condition B+: repaired tears at edges, some into image; minor creases and abrasions in margins. Framed. "In 1902 Matania had come from his native Naples via Paris to London, and by 1908 was regularly exhibiting at London's Royal Academy. Much of his work, as here, was commercial, but he did become the preferred artist for the coverage of many Royal events up to 1953" (Furness Vol. 6, p. 87). Primarily an illustrator, Matania gained fame during the First World War due to his realistic paintings of battlefields and trenches. After the war, he returned to magazine illustrations, focusing mainly on historical scenes. His posters are accomplished with the same realism which gained him such renown during the war years. Pictured here is the Southport Sea Bathing Lake, which opened in 1928 and was a popular Lido through to its closure in the 1960s. Voyage p. 87, Furness Vol. 6, p. 88.
