This fascinating oil painting on canvas by the Danish painter Knud Petersen-Svendsberg depicts one of Taormina’s most iconic and evocative views: the square featuring the celebrated Palazzo Corvaja and the nearby Church of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria.

At the centre of the composition stands the imposing Palazzo Corvaja, a historic aristocratic residence that brings together Arab and Norman architectural influences. To the left rises the Baroque portal of the church, while the square is animated by a lively array of figures — merchants, passers-by and scenes of everyday life — capturing the warm and vibrant atmosphere of southern Italy as seen through the eyes of a Northern European traveller.

Petersen-Svendsberg masterfully captures the crisp, brilliant light of Sicily through a rich, expressive brushwork and a palette of warm tones and ochres for the architecture, beautifully contrasted with the clear blue of the Mediterranean sky. The painting belongs to the rich tradition of Scandinavian and Northern European artists who, captivated by the landscapes and luminous atmosphere of the Sicilian Grand Tour, immortalised Taormina between the 19th and 20th centuries.

Author: Knud Petersen-Svendsberg (1889 – 1971)
Year: Mid-20th century
Size: cm L 69,5 x H 52,5 without frame / cm L 81 x H 63 with frame
Medium: Oil on canvas