Gaetano Previati

His paintings full of feeling and truth, have figured in various exhibitions . In Turin, in 1880 , it became known with two good jobs , ” Hostages of Cream ,” ” Caesar Borglia Crema ” in Milan in 1881 , he sent a picture of like, ” Preference “, ” Crucified Christ ” ; ” Abelard , “” at the door of the harem ” , well kind of , in Milan , in 1881 : ” Christ Crucified ” , presented a year later , in 1883 : ” a corner of the attic “,” May ” , ” Seller ” . At the Exhibition of Rome in 1883 , he exhibited : “Angels ,” ” A November to Ferrara ” to that of Turin in 1884 , ” Porto “, “MAY “, ” First Communion “, ” Twilights “, ” Aurora “, ” Market herb “,” Musicians “,” Story of a naked “,” Studio ” , of which the last four were watercolors ; those of Milan and Turin, in 1886-87 : ” Tiremm before . ” About the latter context , here is what he writes in his book entitled ‘ Ars ‘ , Lorenzo Benapiani : “He was well inspired to portray on canvas this episode of Austrian rule in Milan. Antonio Sciesa starts calm , sure death, in the midst of the astonished curiosity de ‘ his executors . The ” Tiremm before ” the strong will live in one of those answers that, in their sublimity of heroism and self-sacrifice, they did not even need the long chapters victorhughiani on the famous exclamation of Cambronne . Beautiful , calm in his resignation, the figure of Sciesa.

The Previati nell’aggruppare and was happy to pose soldiers , of whom, by the features of the face , even if they had the white seated you easily recognize the origin. We understand that time constraints prevented the distinguished painter to explain all his prowess on the right side of the big picture . This nullameno , is a work that does justice to the vigorous patriotism dell’ardito Previati , and that would fit perfectly into the Civic Museum of the Italian Risorgimento . ” In Venice, in 1887, he exhibited another beautiful picture ” The haschich ” and Bologna at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1888 was : ” Christ and Mary Magdalene ,” ” Porto ” and ” The smoke of hashish ” wonderful work that accrebbero large and well -deserved fame . We conclude these biographical notes of Previati bringing the judgment that gives him Virgilio Colombo in his book ‘ Biographical profiles ‘ ,’ The work of artist envi reveal its distinct nature of Michelangelo , daring , proud , researcher effects of new and strange . This is Previati , nobly proud , intelligent, taciturn , thoughtful face illuminated by a giggle often satirical, his eyes filled with an iron will , counselor right and most patient of his good friends , he does not belong entirely to the past nor to the Modern School , of that has the grandiose concepts of this form. And ‘ best colorist that designer ; paints as he feels , and painting is overwhelmed by its ideal that is not the truth , that sacrifices gain, health and honors, compensandosi with the feeling of his artistic independence.

She loves the big canvas , and he tries to occupy all the dream , his paintings are dramas in five acts with prologue. When he draws a canvas track the figures so grandly , then delete it touches , because they escirebbero the frame. Too bad for him to live in times when there are no more large paintings on the wall and on the ruins of castles and monasteries are villeggiature the fate of the middle class as boxes of jams, as sparrows’ nests ! “. And ‘ First ‘ in his volume entitled ‘ Art in Turin ‘ , published in 1881 , during the exhibition held there, he writes: ” Previati , who in his great picture ” Borgia in Capua , “it is left too impressed by phantasmagoria of Mackart ; ìn shows the same picture as a powerful imagination , and in the sketch ” the hostages Cream ” so perfect a knowledge of the true and effective , give grounds for hope in him a genius capable of illustrating shortly Italian art.

He is young, but already feels not being given the school ; imagination that only has to be able to restrain himself , to achieve the effects sincere ; seriousness that can only grow ; inspiration that certainly will become more solid and secure . ” 1892 ADDED : Emilian painter , which already talked, he exhibited at the Show last three years of Brera a painting titled ” Motherhood “, which aroused considerable controversy and which deserves to be remembered.

We believe , therefore, useful to note what you wrote about this work in a critical ‘ three-year history of the Exhibition ‘ : ” In the first three large rooms on the upper floor are gathered works of greater size, and many , and many of those of greater importance. Immediately the room ‘ L ‘ looks to face the visitor discussed the bigger picture , the more violently attacked and defended with the greatest enthusiasm , the Exposition: ” Maternity ” by Gaetano Previati . Who wants to read at first sight in the picture, that is a little more favorably placed , will believe being in front of an enigma, a riddle to guess who it is.

But who does not scorn to let pass the first impression and will not fear the effort to accustom the eye to the bill too visible, especially as different from the usual , can not help but suffer the powerful suggestion that this thought and felt , issues.

At first the eye of s’impressiona pleasantly diffuse light that seems to envelop the figures coming down from the middle of the top of the canvas . Desserts , like the light, out from which little by little is to be doing , are the attitudes of the figures, all curves , or chine, or knees , before a central figure. What he wanted to give the painter is not the outward appearance of motherhood, summed up in just a human fact , it is rather the symbolic vision – made in the field of visual impressions – motherly love , one of the largest natural laws that apply to preserve the species. At the foot ‘ a tree in the middle , carco fruit , a woman sits, a mother who modestly wrapped in a mantle offers her breast to the baby.

It seems that the light emanates behind her and gently illuminate the flowery and grassy hill on which the great angels with long wings are collected in acts of worship and prayer. With the light , shapes and color , Gaetano Previati has not wanted to give the material evidence of a mother nursing her child, but to suggest that this view raises profound feeling , and what aims the whole composition.

If the material evidence of the elements chosen by the artist to evoke the feeling is not successful enough , both in design and in technology in general, this should not judge lightly the idea of the work that is among the most significant attempts at this last decade . ” And the talented critic A. Sperelli , in the same newspaper , after violent debates raised by this work, he wrote the following : “The significance of the work of Gaetano Previati is great ; preannunziante symptom is a new era , an evolution of art that imminent light as a tool worketh pel minute job. ” Motherhood ” is a poetic vision above.

But the sense that the word , or rather , the word dive in molten form of a poem , the man raises the painter wanted to arouse the beholder varies with the excitement of the retina. It is not , as happens in many paintings , that the reproduction of the material forms s’umilii to materialize the vague images aroused by words. And ‘ so that instead of form and color, and light , which can not be contained in the words , which aroused by the divine spectacle of ” Motherhood ” , the artist attempts to arouse with the means of form, color and light. I know very well , that the form is not speaking the pure language of the masterpieces , the color is subordinated to the general concern to appear , that the light is pure as the language clearer work through veiled effort to get it done . But the progress of the painting, like any art, is made of two parallel phenomena progressive : the unfolding of the means of manifestation in the artist, and the unfolding of the faculties of perception, in the audience. And it’s not a big effort to adapt the artist , in the ” Motherhood ” I would like to call , according to the intention lyric , “The Vision of Motherhood ,” asks the viewer : Who Wins this effort can give, and must , if it makes sense of art, a crown work. It might not be the laurel wreath of the winner , but certainly among the palms of martyrdom, which belong to them, a sprig of laurel he will have to weave . ” Source De Gubernatis .