Carlo Domenici - (Livorno 1897 - Portoferraio 1981) - Watering Place
oil on panel, cm 70x50cm With frame 70x89cm
signed lower right.
Carlo Domenici (Livorno 1897 - Elba Island 1981) is one of the major representatives of the Labronici group from Livorno, founded in 1920 at Caffè Bardi, a historic meeting place for members of the movement. The artists of the group share a style attributable to post-Macchiaioli painting; the subjects represented (the Tuscan countryside and seascapes, peasants and animals at work...) also demonstrate how the Labronici shared with their Macchiaioli predecessors a love for their land. Carlo Domenici, after an academic training, devoted himself to Macchiaioli painting. Scenes of rural life in which naturalism and chromatic pleasure blend together. Tuscany is always the protagonist of his landscapes, particularly three areas of his land: the Maremma, with its peasants and animals at work in the fields, close in style and technique to the great Fattori; bucolic masterpieces, in which the warm tones of the countryside blend with the harsh features of the men and women who harvest or thresh the wheat. Elba Island and its marine scenes; paintings in which one captures the atmosphere and sea breeze through vibrant tones and vibrant lights. Finally, his beloved Livorno, described with precision of details and strong emotionality. In 1940 he moved to Florence but did not abandon his favorite subjects, often returning to his places of origin to portray his countryside. In 1970 he settled permanently on Elba Island and in 1976 a stroke paralyzed his right arm, preventing him from continuing his painting career consistently. Domenici's final despondency came with the death of his wife. The only great satisfaction of his last years was his appointment as President of the Labronico Group in 1979, a position he held until the year of his death, 1981.
