Michele Gamberini

MICHELE GAMBERINI (Italy,1840-1892)
"Portrait of a lady", 1883.
Oil on canvas.
It has slight restorations.
Signed and dated in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 70 x 62 cm; 82 x 72 cm (frame).
In this work the pearly face of the young woman stands out as the main element of the luminosity of the piece. The author emphasizes the quality and precision of the technique that is reflected in the details of the cape, in the delicate lace that forms part of the detail of the neck, or in the lightness of the feathers that adorn the hat. As for the portrait, it should be noted that it goes beyond the technique, revealing a personality through a gesture and even her clothing, thus implying that this is a woman belonging to a high position and with a certain power that is intuited from the seriousness and forcefulness of the gesture. Regarding the technique, the forms follow a classical canon of balanced anatomy that transmits an immutable beauty, responding to a concept of aesthetic serenity typical of the classicism of the Italian school.

As in the rest of Europe, the portrait became in the 19th century the protagonist genre par excellence of painting, as a consequence of the new social structures that were implanted in the Western world throughout this century, embodying the maximum expression of the transformation of taste and mentality of the new clientele, emerged between the nobility and the wealthy bourgeoisie, who would take the reins of history in this period. While official circles gave preponderance to other artistic genres, such as history painting, and the incipient collecting encouraged the profusion of costume paintings, portraiture monopolized the demand for painting destined for the more private sphere, as a reflection of the value of the individual in the new society. This genre embodies the permanent presence of the image of its protagonists, to be enjoyed in the intimacy of a studio, in the daily warmth of a family cabinet or presiding over the main rooms of the house.