True Memories Of Tuscany

While the French had the Impressionists in the late 19th century, the Italians had the Macchiaioli, a group of artists united by their use of chiaroscuro, the effects of light and shadow, in their works. They took more inspiration from the Barbizon painters like Corot, and side-stepped Impressionism.  One of the best-known and certainly the most prolific was Giovanni Fattori  (1825-1908).   

Born in Livorno, Tuscany, Fattori found his vocation slowly.  He  arrived in Florence to study art in 1846.  There he met Edgar Degas whose work impressed him with its focus on  the loneliness and  alienation of modern life.  He was fifty by the time he finally visited Paris and remained unmoved by Impressionism, although he greatly admired Edouard Manet.

In middle age, Fattori turned to etching, publishing a portfolio in 1884 20 Ricordi del vero, or Twenty True Memories.  Scenes of deserted streets or woodland paths are the setting for solitary walkers or dogs resting in the midday sun.  These suspended moments possess a hard-won charm.  The artist lived through the turbulent years of the Italian unification, ending his years with disappointment in both society and art.  I" have spent my years hoping and I will end discouraged."  Better, surely, than the reverse.

To read more about Fattori, visit Giovanni Fattori Museum.

Images: Giovanni Fattori, Art Institute of Chicago.

1. The Black Dog.

2. Street On The Outskirts Of Florence With A Puppy.

3. A Street.

4. Woodland Walk With Figure.