Italian Impressionism

This exhibition, which comprises an impressive 150 works of art, some famous and some less so, bears important testimony to the existence and indeed value of the Italian impressionist movement. Despite the fact that for many years Italian Impressionism was considered little more than a minor offshoot of the celebrated and prolific French movement, and was even considered non-existant by some, today art critics view it differently. In recent times, keen scholars (including Renato Barilli, curator of this exhibition) have shown how the term “impression” - used in the sense intended by a critic describing Monet's “Impression au soleil levant”, during the celebrated exhibition at the Nadar photographic studio in 1874 - was soon recurrent in the artistic notes of several Italian artists of the age, including Giovanni Fattori. The birth of Impressionism, ushered in by the exhibition event of 1874, was the name given to a motley group of artists who nonetheless shared a common desire: to capture their own impressions of the world “en plein air”; in other words, they sought to free painting from the restrictions imposed by the easel, immersing themselves in nature itself in order to render their “impression” of it, expressing light, sun, air and nuances of colour. These artistic similarities, along with a shared attention to photography, fundamentally important for their French counterparts - can be seen in many Italian artists. The Brescia event gives an account of these similarities through an exhibition organized in chronological order (from 1860 to 1895), but also according to region. It opens with the Macchiaioli painters, showing not only typical scenes but also works which depict the moment they set aside history and cast their gaze beyond regional boundaries in search of new horizons. Macchiaioli exponents include Fattori, Lega, Cabianca, Banti, and later Signorini, Abbati and Sernesi. In Lombardy, the Scapigliatura movement portrayed striking foggy atmospheres and towns flooded by intense colour, with works by Cremona and Ranzoni, but also Mosè Bianchi and Gignous. Last but not least, there is the artistic fervour of Naples with De Nittis and Cecioni, Venice as portrayed by Zandomenighi, and Piedmont and Liguria portrayed by Pittara and Avendo. A separate chapter is dedicated to Boldini and the already mentioned De Nittis, who moved to France to be at what was the international heart of art; Boldini, fervent painter of aristocratic ladies in their fine sitting rooms, was already attracted by the pictorial flashes of Futurism. 

Impressionismo italiano
Palazzo Martinengo, via Musei, 30, Brescia
from 25th October 2002 to 23rd February 2003
opening times: 9.30am - 7.30pm; closed on Mondays
Ticket price: full price, € 6.50 euros; concessions € 5 euros
For further information: Tel. 030 2807934; Email: informazioni@bresciamostre.it
Catalogue: by R. Barilli, Edizioni Mazzotta

Italian Impressionism

This exhibition, which comprises an impressive 150 works of art, some famous and some less so, bears important testimony to the existence and indeed value of the Italian impressionist movement. Despite the fact that for many years Italian Impressionism was considered little more than a minor offshoot of the celebrated and prolific French movement, and was even considered non-existant by some, today art critics view it differently. In recent times, keen scholars (including Renato Barilli, curator of this exhibition) have shown how the term “impression” - used in the sense intended by a critic describing Monet's “Impression au soleil levant”, during the celebrated exhibition at the Nadar photographic studio in 1874 - was soon recurrent in the artistic notes of several Italian artists of the age, including Giovanni Fattori. The birth of Impressionism, ushered in by the exhibition event of 1874, was the name given to a motley group of artists who nonetheless shared a common desire: to capture their own impressions of the world “en plein air”; in other words, they sought to free painting from the restrictions imposed by the easel, immersing themselves in nature itself in order to render their “impression” of it, expressing light, sun, air and nuances of colour. These artistic similarities, along with a shared attention to photography, fundamentally important for their French counterparts - can be seen in many Italian artists. The Brescia event gives an account of these similarities through an exhibition organized in chronological order (from 1860 to 1895), but also according to region. It opens with the Macchiaioli painters, showing not only typical scenes but also works which depict the moment they set aside history and cast their gaze beyond regional boundaries in search of new horizons. Macchiaioli exponents include Fattori, Lega, Cabianca, Banti, and later Signorini, Abbati and Sernesi. In Lombardy, the Scapigliatura movement portrayed striking foggy atmospheres and towns flooded by intense colour, with works by Cremona and Ranzoni, but also Mosè Bianchi and Gignous. Last but not least, there is the artistic fervour of Naples with De Nittis and Cecioni, Venice as portrayed by Zandomenighi, and Piedmont and Liguria portrayed by Pittara and Avendo. A separate chapter is dedicated to Boldini and the already mentioned De Nittis, who moved to France to be at what was the international heart of art; Boldini, fervent painter of aristocratic ladies in their fine sitting rooms, was already attracted by the pictorial flashes of Futurism. 

Impressionismo italiano
Palazzo Martinengo, via Musei, 30, Brescia
from 25th October 2002 to 23rd February 2003
opening times: 9.30am - 7.30pm; closed on Mondays
Ticket price: full price, € 6.50 euros; concessions € 5 euros
For further information: Tel. 030 2807934; Email: informazioni@bresciamostre.it
Catalogue: by R. Barilli, Edizioni Mazzotta