Ignacio Manzoni

IGNACIO MANZONI (Milan, 1797 - Clusone, 1884).
"Moon effect".
Oil on canvas.
Presents old label on the back, with biographical data and title of the work.
Measurements: 67 x 52 cm; 79 x 63 cm (frame).

The imagination and fabulous capacity of Ignacio Manzoni are evident in this painting brimming with anecdotal elements, in which a group of musicians perform a concert with multiple instruments in front of a window behind which the full moon shines. A dose of humor permeates the scene, which is expressed in the dramaturgy of the gestures and faces, including those of the cat, who participates in the music with meows and claws. The popular types have been captured with plastic ingenuity, bathed in a cold, nocturnal light that contrasts with the chromatic richness of their attire.

Ignacio Manzoni was an Italian painter who settled in Buenos Aires for a period of time, eventually reaping an important success for his paintings. His work abounded in religious and historical themes, landscapes, portraits and still lifes, and his paintings are currently exhibited in the main museums of Argentina. He studied painting at the Brera Academy in Milan. He fought against the Austrians in 1848 and after the defeat he had to go into exile in Switzerland, although he was later able to return to Milan, thanks to an amnesty. He was already a recognized master when he arrived in Buenos Aires in 1851. His still lifes were at first coldly received, but later he won over the Buenos Aires public. In any case, he decided to remain in the Argentine environment, making permanent trips around the world (USA, Europe, Peru and Chile). In 1857 he settled in Buenos Aires, where in time he was highly acclaimed for his work as a portraitist and for his portraits, genre, religious and anecdotal themes. He also dedicated himself to private teaching, forming disciples such as José María Gutiérrez. With the oil painting "El asado", Ignacio Manzoni won the first prize for painting at the First National Exhibition, held in Cordoba (1871), at the request of President Domingo Faustino Sarmiento. The painting was originally titled "Gaucho porteño in attitude of teaching a foreigner the peculiar way he has of cutting the asado". He died in Clusone, his native town.