Paolo Sala

Galleria Pesaro, Milan

Venice, XII Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte della Città di Venezia, 1920

This large-scale composition depicts a view of the west entrance of Westminster Abbey, capturing the monumental architecture through a refined handling of light. The façade is dominated by two symmetrically soaring bell towers, joined at the centre by a pointed arch, rising into an evocative mist that softens the composition. A horse and cart intersect with the blurred movement of figures gathered around a grey marble and stone column in the foreground, crowned by a depiction of St George slaying the dragon.

Trained at the Brera Academy in Milan, Sala spent an extended period in London, where he worked predominantly en plein air, allowing him to render his urban genre scenes with immediacy and accuracy.