The Macchiaioli

The art of the Macchiaioli and the movement of the same name were born in Florence in 1855 thanks to the deep concerns of a group of young artists who found in Café Michelangelo, located in the Tuscan capital, a meeting and exchange point. Thanks to this ongoing contact and exchange of ideas, in 1862 the term "Macchiaioli" was coined to refer to the group of Florentine artists, used for the first time in the "Gazzetta del popolo."

Style and technique of the Macchiaioli paintings

The artists belonging to the Movement used a very particular painting technique. The Macchiaioli's painting, as the name itself suggests, consisted in the use of patches of color with which it was possible to create figures and luminous effects without the need for lines and geometric points, which do not exist in nature. According to them, in fact, forms are not generated by outlines, but by the impact of light on bodies, which thus take shape before our eyes. Thanks to this new vision, the artists managed to develop a unique and completely new style for that time.

Forerunners of Impressionism

The idea of reproducing reality as seen in nature, without geometric artifices and with special attention to light, as can be observed in the paintings of the Macchiaioli, are elements that the Tuscan artists undoubtedly share with the Impressionists, of whom we can consider them a kind of forerunners, with due differences, of course. In fact, while for Macchiaiolism the importance was luminosity, for the Impressionists it was the impression of light.

Themes of the Macchiaioli

At a time when Neoclassical and Romantic traditions were very strong, the Macchiaioli stood out for their realistic taste and their preference for everyday life themes: the depiction of humble family scenes and real rural landscapes, far from myths and legends, were the preferred subjects of the Macchiaioli artists.