Viola was born in Bologna and went to Rome in about 1600. He established himself as a specialist landscape painter, executing frescoes and easel paintings with small figures. He was closely associated with Francesco Albani (1578 - 1660) who married his daughter in 1613. He worked with Domenichino and Albani at Bassano di Sutri in 1610 and apparently collaborated in the execution of the frescoes by Domenichino in the Stanza di Apollo at the Villa Aldobrandini, Frascati.
Giovanni Battista Viola
1576 - 1622
Paintings by Giovanni Battista Viola
This painting is typical of Giovanni Battista Viola, who specialised in landscapes with hunting and fishing scenes. Here, in a woodland clearing, a hunter dressed in yellow lets his dogs drink from a stream, while another sounds a horn to gather the hunting party. Smartly dressed figures on horse...
Not on display
A number of boats navigate a pale turquoise lake that is surrounded on all sides by dark trees. The white sail of the vessel in the middle ground provides a bright accent, its curve complementing the shape of the branches at top left. In the foreground, two men stand on the shore, talking and lea...
Not on display