Carlo Domenici - (Livorno 1897 - Portoferraio 1981) - Elban View
oil on hardboard, 75x50 cm
signed lower right.
Signed and titled on the back.
Carlo Domenici (Livorno 1897 - Elba Island 1981) is one of the major representatives of the Livorno group of the Labronici, founded in 1920 at Caffè Bardi, the historical meeting place of the movement's members. The artists of the group share a style attributable to post-Macchiaioli; even the subjects represented (the Tuscan countryside and seascapes, peasants and animals at work...) demonstrate how the Labronici shared with their Macchiaioli predecessors a love for their land. Carlo Domenici, after academic training, dedicated himself to Macchia painting: scenes of rural life in which naturalism and chromatic pleasure merge. Tuscany is always the protagonist of his landscapes, in particular three areas of his land: the Maremma, with its peasants and animals working in the fields, similar in style and technique to the great Fattori; bucolic masterpieces, in which the warm tones of the countryside merge with the hard features of the men and women who harvest or thresh wheat. The Island of Elba and its marine scenes; paintings in which the atmosphere and sea breeze are captured through lively tones and vibrant lights. Finally, his beloved Livorno, described with precision of detail and strong emotionality. In 1940 he moved to Florence but did not abandon the subjects he loved, often returning to his places of origin to portray his countryside. In 1970 he permanently settled on the Island of Elba and in 1976 a stroke paralyzed his right arm, preventing him from continuing his painting career steadily. Domenici's despair was definitively prompted by his wife's death. The only great satisfaction in his last years of life was his appointment as President of the Labronico Group in 1979, a position he held until the year of his death, 1981.
