Roman Carts (Italian - Barrocci romani) is an oil-on-panel painting by the Italian artist Giovanni Fattori, painted during a stay in Rome, c. 1872–1873. It is now in the Galleria d'Arte Moderna, in the Palazzo Pitti, in Florence.[1]
| Roman Carts | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Giovanni Fattori |
| Year | c. 1872–1873 |
| Medium | oil on panel |
| Dimensions | 21 cm × 31 cm (8.3 in × 12 in) |
| Location | Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Florence |
Description
editMade during his stay in Rome in 1873, the canvas depicts a roadside scene in which there are four exhausted horses on a summer day. One is sitting on the ground, another has a saddle and the last two are still pulling the barroccio, a two-wheeled vehicle used for the transport of goods. There is only one man in the scene, portrayed in the background: he is the master of the horses and he is caught while he is resting, exhausted like the beasts.
In the background there is a yellowish wall calcined by the sun, seen in transversal perspective, which schematically cuts the horizon and highlights the vastness of the space. The wall, characterized by a perfect geometry, presents a great volumetric tension and being suddenly interrupted, it restores the idea of a blocked time.
From a technical point of view, the characters, described in light and uniform tones, are volumetrically highlighted by the relationship between the drawing and the brushstrokes. The scene is shown on a very intense light and the sensation that derives from it, motionless and sad, is that of suspending life during a sultry summer day.[1][2]
References
edit- ^ a b A. Magnani. "Barocci romani" (in Italian). Geometrie fluide.
- ^ Roman Carta, Catalogo Beni Culturali (Italian)