The Pilgrims

Etching, circa 1770/80, unsigned.

The brushstrokes are very free, and the bite is pronounced to emulate the nocturnal atmosphere; the light comes from the left and casts dark shadows on the ground. The small space is crowded with men, mostly captured from behind, forming a compact mass that occupies three-quarters of the space. Above them is the dark sky and the poles of their banners. In the foreground, exactly in the center, is a man captured from behind, full-length, dividing the space vertically, adding momentum and elegance to the composition. At his side are two men in profile observing him, while in the background are other pilgrims. The strong chiaroscuro contrasts intensify the pathos of the representation.

A beautiful work, rich in tone, printed on contemporary laid paper, with margins, in excellent condition.

The painter and printmaker Gaetano Gandolfi grew up in a family of artists. Trained by his older brother Ubaldo Gandolfi and Ercole Lelli at the Accademia Clementina in Bologna, he spent the year 1760 in Venice, where he was particularly influenced by the work of Giambattista Tiepolo. After his return to Bologna, Gandolfi became one of the most sought-after painters of scenes and frescoes of his time.

Gandolfi was an important and eclectic figure in 18th-century Bologna. He was a painter and a skilled draftsman, but he also successfully devoted himself to engraving. As his biographers agree, from a young age he gradually developed the accuracy of his intuition in drawing. Dozens of Gandolfi's sketches and drawings are found in museums and private collections around the world. They have been collectibles since the 18th century and represent a reliable way to understand the development of his thought and the evolution of the style that would influence the Bolognese school until the middle of the following century. His head, composition, and anatomical studies in pen and ink, pencil, and pastel were highly appreciated by his contemporaries. His teaching at the Academy of Bologna allowed him to exert a decisive influence on the work of subsequent generations of artists. Gandolfi also produced a vast printed oeuvre, which included both reproductions and prints of his own design.

Bibliografia

De Vesme, 16; Bartsch, 16; F. Gozzi, Ubaldo, Gaetano e Mauro Gandolfi le incisioni, n 10.