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Lot Essay
Chierici can be considered the most important Italian genre painter of his day, and the first to find popular success outside his own country, notably in England and Austria. His scenes, imbued with pictorial realism, are usually centred on children and characterised by a technique which renders objects in almost photographic detail.
Gaetano Chierici began his studies at the Scuola di Belle Arti in Reggio-Emilia and later continued at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Modena as well as the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence from 1858. Despite being classically trained at the Accademia, by the 1860s Chierici's art shifted to embrace genre scenes that focused on pictorial realism. As a result of his faithful observance of scenes of domestic life, he became known for his depictions of peasants, their children and animals - characters that promoted pure and simple family values. His artistic sincerity reflected his own social concerns and earned him the title 'poet of the family' and 'painter of childhood happiness'. It was not just the display of the symbols of daily life such as the furnishings, objects, costumes, and children's toys that were important to Chierici, but the interaction between his characters and the resulting mood that is conveyed.
In the present admirable example of the artist’s mature work, the viewer is witness to a group of happy children grouped around a new born baby, playing with chicks and cats. The staged confusion of the scene is echoed by the disarray of the interior. Chierici's family scenes are often touched by humour.
The present painting is a variation of Chierici's composition titled 'Gioie Infantili’ (Reggio Emilia, Palazzo Magnani, Gaetano Chierici 1838-1920. Mostra Antologica, 15 February-31 March 1986, no. 200).
Gaetano Chierici began his studies at the Scuola di Belle Arti in Reggio-Emilia and later continued at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Modena as well as the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence from 1858. Despite being classically trained at the Accademia, by the 1860s Chierici's art shifted to embrace genre scenes that focused on pictorial realism. As a result of his faithful observance of scenes of domestic life, he became known for his depictions of peasants, their children and animals - characters that promoted pure and simple family values. His artistic sincerity reflected his own social concerns and earned him the title 'poet of the family' and 'painter of childhood happiness'. It was not just the display of the symbols of daily life such as the furnishings, objects, costumes, and children's toys that were important to Chierici, but the interaction between his characters and the resulting mood that is conveyed.
In the present admirable example of the artist’s mature work, the viewer is witness to a group of happy children grouped around a new born baby, playing with chicks and cats. The staged confusion of the scene is echoed by the disarray of the interior. Chierici's family scenes are often touched by humour.
The present painting is a variation of Chierici's composition titled 'Gioie Infantili’ (Reggio Emilia, Palazzo Magnani, Gaetano Chierici 1838-1920. Mostra Antologica, 15 February-31 March 1986, no. 200).