September Morning in Settignano

1891 · Galleria dell'Arte Moderna, Palazzo Pitti, Florence

landscape

While he lived in Settignano, Signorini painted a number of scenes showing subjects of this town right outside of Florence at the foothills toward Fiesole. In this canvas, he achieved a contemplative and harmonious union of naturalism and delicate abstraction. The white cat sitting by itself at the backyard table seems to invite the viewer to join the tranquil morning atmosphere.

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About the Artist

Telemaco Signorini

1835 – 1901

Italian painter, writer, critic, illustrator, etcher and teacher. He was a major figure of the Macchiaioli group, painting primarily landscapes, seascapes and street scenes in towns and villages in Tuscany and Liguria. As with many of the Macchiaioli, he did not always date his paintings, and their chronology must be deduced from exhibition catalogues and other contemporary sources. As a writer and critic he was the most ardent spokesman for, and promoter of, the Macchiaioli and wrote with insight and cutting wit about the art world of the second half of the 19th century.

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