Case in laguna by Matteo Massagrande
With Case in Laguna, Matteo Massagrande captures a quiet corner of the Venetian lagoon, where wooden walkways and timeworn buildings stand at the water’s edge. The grazing light highlights weathered surfaces, reflections on the water, and the geometry of the wooden bridges, creating a suspended and contemplative atmosphere. The artwork is on view at PUNTO SULL’ARTE Gallery in Varese as part of the solo exhibition SOGLIE – Stanze, Paesaggi, Città.
The artist: Matteo Massagrande
Matteo Massagrande, born in Padua in 1959, is one of the leading figures of contemporary Italian figurative painting. Active since a very young age, he has developed a pictorial research grounded in careful observation of space and in the layered construction of the image. Alongside painting, he has cultivated an intense graphic practice since the 1970s. Over the course of his career he has held more than one hundred solo exhibitions in Italy and abroad, and his works are part of important museum and private collections. He currently lives and works between Padua and Hajós, Hungary.
Description “Case in laguna”
In Case in Laguna, Massagrande structures the composition through a perspective that guides the viewer’s gaze along the wooden walkways toward the houses overlooking the water. The façades, marked by time and salt air, interact with the irregular structure of the piers, while light shapes the volumes and creates a subtle play of shadows and reflections. The scene conveys an intimate and silent vision of the Venetian lagoon, where architecture and water coexist in a delicate balance.
Conclusion
The work resonates with the theme of the exhibition SOGLIE, dedicated to spaces of passage and liminal places. In Case in Laguna, the walkways become a metaphor for crossing and connection between water and land, between built space and landscape. The artwork is on view at PUNTO SULL’ARTE Gallery in Varese until May 9, 2026.