Fanciulla abruzzese

Lazzaro G.B. Frugone 1935 Genova - legato

Michetti, Francesco Paolo

GAM1553

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 48.5; Larghezza: 33.5

olio su tela

In the refined and mischievous "Fanciulla abruzzese", datable to the 1880s because of the decadent tone that connotes it, Francesco Paolo Michetti carefully describes the little girl's face, her delicate complexion, the dishevelled locks of hair that partly cover her forehead, her earrings, their reflections on the necklace of crosses and seeds, her white dress and the small bouquet of small wild flowers; all of which are further emphasised by the dark green of the background vegetation. This is a recurring figure in the works of the Abruzzese artist, who was a friend and protector of D'Annunzio, illustrator of his tragedies, and animator of a cultured coterie of artists, men of letters and musicians in his home-atelier at the Conventino in Francavilla sul Mare. It is difficult to identify the girl depicted, although young figures very similar to this one appear in other works by Michetti. The material preciousness of the work is well matched by the decorative richness of the frame that frames it, richly carved with scrolls and foliage and with four cartouches with lozenge motifs in the centre of the sides, characteristic of mid-18th century French decoration.

drawing

Luigi Frugone

GAM 1562

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 180; Larghezza: 130

The canvas presents a charcoal sketch of two "Lovers" made by Giovanni Segantini and formally related to two similar young people in the well-known 1896 painting "Love at the Source of Life" (Milan, Galleria d'Arte Moderna).
"The playful and carefree love of the female, and the thoughtful love of the male, bound together by the natural impulse of youth and spring", as Segantini wrote in 1896. Apparently far removed from the painter's expressive methods and exuberant colours precisely because they were unfinished, the two figures were perhaps made for the Symbolist painting ‘The Earthly Paradise’, which was interrupted by the artist's sudden death.
The museum also houses a beautiful charcoal drawing by Segantini, the "Sleeping Shepherd" from around 1893, from the collection of the famous conductor Arturo Toscanini, who bought it during a sale of works belonging to the painter Vittore Grubicy De Dragon who, with his brother Alberto, had been the reference market for the Italian Divisionists.

dipinto