Grandma's birthday - Vincenzo Irolli (Naples 1860 - 1949)

Painting oil on canvas depicting two children in a floral riot in front of the grandmother's house to whom they are about to pay homage to a festoon full of flowers for her birthday.

"Grandma's birthday"

Measurements: cm. 60 x 90

Author: Vincenzo Irolli (Naples 1860-1949)

Biographie:

He was born in Naples on 30 September. 1860 by Luigi and Clotilde Fedele. Between 1877 and 1880 he studied at the Institute of Fine Arts in Naples, colombe had as teachers G. Toma, F. Maldarelli and the sculptor S. Lista. In 1877 at the National Exhibition in Naples he was struck by the Corpus Domini Procession of F.P. Michetti, who later got to know, from Parassiti by A. D'Orsi and from the first paintings by A. Mancini who on that occasion exhibited Love your neighbor as yourself and the children of a worker (Giannelli, p. 283; Manzi).

In 1879 the I. he participated for the first time in the XV Exhibition of the Promoting Society of Naples exhibiting Felice rimembranza, which earned him the first prize. In 1880 in the same venue he presented Sesto Tarquinio and The attempt on the honor of Lucrezia, still inscribed in the tradition of Morellian-inspired historical painting; in 1881, A head; in 1883, a Study from life; in 1885, the three operas For the name day of his uncle, Impression of the double bass player Franchi and Si becomes so. D. Morelli was able to note on several occasions and with particular consideration the portrait proof of the I. - the portrait of Raffaele Rizzo painter of 1878 and the portraits of Carmine Franchi and the Avvocato Monaci still exhibited at the exhibition of the Neapolitan Promoter Society of 1886 -, noting in them "certain peculiarities of bold coloring in the rhytides of the figures, m. in the eyes "(Manzi, p. 15). To testify the quality of that first portrait production - which also includes A scholar, which Manzi dates to 1881 and the portrait of Garibaldi Garani, a Calabrian painter friend of I. - remains the portrait of Francesco Netti, from 1884 (donated by the author to Netti: reprimand in Savoia, p. 209), which well exemplifies the ability of I. to grasp the character and physiognomic individuality of the figure through a brushstroke that is moved, fluid and fibrous at the same time , with local densification of materials, exhibiting a painting disinvolved in the relationship established between figure and background, close to Michimili prouver and Michimili.

Between 1880 and 1883 he was in Pavia for military service during which he still managed to paint: it dates back to this period Povera Madre, from 1882 (reprized in Montanari). In 1883 he presented Capriccio at the Rome Fine Arts Exhibition. In the same year he returned to Naples, attending Michetti, G. Bovio, G.A. Sartorio. In 1884 he was present at the Italian General Exposition in Turin with Love and Duty and Modern Magdalene. Bovio, in the biography of 1887, recalls the preparations for participation in the exhibition of the Brera Academy of 1886, where I. notamment Portrait of the author, Renaissance and My ideal. Opéra The latter, in which the author portrayed himself as "a corpse under a silk blanket and living flowers", was deemed too philosophical by Bovio (Manzi, p. 16) who wished the continuity of a different orientation in his painting, such as the one revealed from the paintings presented at the 1887 Venice National Exhibition: Dal vero, Chiaroscuro and Studio.

Between 1889 and 1890 the I. was called by A. Curri to take part in the decoration of the Gambrinus brewery in Naples, which involved the most successful artists of the time, including L. Postiglione, P. Scoppetta, E. Matania, V. Volpe, G. Esposito, G. Casciaro, V. Caprile, executing the Piedigrotta panel. In 1890 he became a member of the Artistic Circle of Naples.