Study of a dromedary (1839) – Study of a Lion (1840)

Study of a dromedary (1839)

dated upper right: “Dromedary. December 1839”;

signed lower left: “Filip. Palizzi”

Study of a lion (1840)

Signed lower left: “Filip. Palizzi”

From the very beginning, Filippo Palizzi established an intense and direct relationship with nature, based on constant and close observation of the animal world. His painting always arose from encounters with reality and found its methodological principle in studying from life. In an artistic context still largely tied to academic tradition, this choice immediately set him apart in the eyes of his contemporaries and helped define his identity, to the point of earning him the somewhat ambiguous nickname of “animal painter”. From his youth, Palizzi conducted personal research into comparative anatomy and the mechanics of animal movement, which he considered indispensable for authentic painting. The observation of bone structures, musculature and postures, conducted in moments of calm and tension, became a central cognitive tool. This investigation, based on an original and unconventional naturalism, contributed over time to building his reputation as an extraordinary anatomist and animalist. This is evidenced both by the works successfully presented at the exhibitions of the Promotrice di Belle Arti in Naples and, above all, by the vast corpus of studies and sketches made from life, according to a constant and systematic practice.

Palizzi’s zoological repertoire is extensive and varied, including domestic, wild and exotic animals. Deer, roe deer, donkeys, domestic ducks, herons, swallows, eagles, bulls, rams, calves, goats, sheep, lambs, snakes, dromedaries, camels, lions and, in particular, horses populate his drawings and paintings. These subjects become ideal plastic models for the artist, through which he investigates the relationship between form, volume and movement. The poses are analysed as moments of suspension, in which the tension of the gesture is balanced with the compactness of the masses, revealing a constant dialogue between scientific observation and formal sensitivity. He had a particular interest in exotic animals, which he observed at the Naples Zoo, the Jardin des Plantes in Paris in 1861 and during his trip to Moldavia in 1842, when Palizzi portrayed, among others, a harpy, a bear and a camel. Among these subjects, the lion takes on a central role. The artist carefully studied its imposing bone structure, pronounced head, musculature and restrained strength, focusing on details such as the expression in its gaze, the tension of its muzzle, the arch of its neck and the movement of its mane. The lion is never intended as a symbolic or heraldic figure, but as a living organism, observed in its physical reality.

The two sketches dedicated to the lion and the dromedary are exemplary representations of this working method. In the drawing of the dromedary, executed in December 1839, the animal is depicted at rest, highlighting its endurance and slowness, qualities of a body adapted to extreme environmental conditions. The observation of posture and structure is carried out without any exotic complacency. The lion, probably dating from the same years, is depicted with similar anatomical precision, immersed in a vigilant calm and focused on its own potential strength. In both cases, Palizzi renders the animal as an autonomous presence, balancing scientific rigour and pictorial rendering.

These studies are part of the vast zoological repertoire that Palizzi built up over more than thirty years of direct observation and continuous research. Between 1860 and 1864, this heritage came together in the creation of After the Flood, the large painting commissioned by the royal family and now preserved in the Capodimonte Museum and Royal Park. The work depicts the moment when the animals, having left Noah’s ark after a year of confinement, return to populate the earth. Each animal is captured in the act of setting off again, driven by a force that goes beyond simple instinct. The only episode of conflict, the lioness biting the boa, does not interrupt the overall harmony of the composition, but rather emphasises its complexity. The presence of birds in flight, heading towards different points in space, reinforces the idea of a vital dispersion and a renewed expansion of life.In After the Flood, Palizzi affirms a vision of nature based on balance and coexistence between species. The artist rejects any hierarchy and constructs a scene in which each animal maintains its own identity while being part of a harmonious whole. As he himself argues, nature must be equally evident in all its parts, from the most imposing predator to the humblest animal, in order for the Flood to appear truly universal. In this context, the lion, stripped of its symbolic value, and the camel, stripped of all exoticism, become emblems of a new alliance between living forms, based on a feeling of tranquillity and rebirth. The studies in examination should therefore not be understood as mere iconographic antecedents, but rather as central moments in a long and conscious reflection. In them, Palizzi elaborates in advance the ethical and formal core that will find its most complete synthesis in After the Flood, confirming a style of painting that arises from the observation of reality and restores nature to its dimension of shared equilibrium.

Stefano Bosi