Vincenzo Gemito
Vincenzo Gemito
From the very beginning of his career as a sculptor, he showed particular attention to street youth, which was to be one of the recurring themes of his artistic career.
From the very beginning of his career as a sculptor, he showed particular attention to street youth, which was to be one of the recurring themes of his artistic career.
Medium: terracotta sculpture
Medium: terracotta sculpture
Introduction
Introduction
Intesa Sanpaolo's rich collection of drawings, terracottas and bronzes by Vincenzo Gemito represents one of the most important groups of works by the Neapolitan sculptor and draughtsman. The collection documents his extraordinary artistic career, marked by an existence compromised by profound psychological imbalances that caused long interruptions in his career. The direct relationship with the reality of street life and that with the Neapolitan artistic and artisan milieu of those years - one specifically thinks of the nativity scene production of polychrome terracotta shepherds - contribute to the environment around which Gemito conducted his artistic and life journey. The terracotta head is entitled The harpooner; made around 1872, it is part of the artist's early works and still appears linked to the teachings of his master Stanislao Lista. The sculpture testifies to Gemito's growing interest in classical sculptural production, through a subject that strongly recalls styles related to ancient art.
The work is located at Gallerie d'Italia - Napoli.
Intesa Sanpaolo's rich collection of drawings, terracottas and bronzes by Vincenzo Gemito represents one of the most important groups of works by the Neapolitan sculptor and draughtsman. The collection documents his extraordinary artistic career, marked by an existence compromised by profound psychological imbalances that caused long interruptions in his career. The direct relationship with the reality of street life and that with the Neapolitan artistic and artisan milieu of those years - one specifically thinks of the nativity scene production of polychrome terracotta shepherds - contribute to the environment around which Gemito conducted his artistic and life journey. The terracotta head is entitled The harpooner; made around 1872, it is part of the artist's early works and still appears linked to the teachings of his master Stanislao Lista. The sculpture testifies to Gemito's growing interest in classical sculptural production, through a subject that strongly recalls styles related to ancient art.
The work is located at Gallerie d'Italia - Napoli.
Gemito depicts a young boy fishing with a spear. The pose is dynamic: his head is slightly inclined and turned to the right. The sweet features of the face are framed by thick hair held back by a thin gable.
Gemito depicts a young boy fishing with a spear. The pose is dynamic: his head is slightly inclined and turned to the right. The sweet features of the face are framed by thick hair held back by a thin gable.
These street children's hard life, which the artist could observe daily in the alleys of Naples, is a mirror of his own existence.
These street children's hard life, which the artist could observe daily in the alleys of Naples, is a mirror of his own existence.
The particular rapidity and immediacy with which he manipulates the material allowed him to capture from life the faces of the young street urchins who animate the streets of Naples, creating profound portraits such as that of The harpooner.
The particular rapidity and immediacy with which he manipulates the material allowed him to capture from life the faces of the young street urchins who animate the streets of Naples, creating profound portraits such as that of The harpooner.