A Vendetta

Massimo d'Azeglio was an artist, writer, and minister during the Italian Risorgimento. "Una vendetta" belongs to the historical landscape genre—this refers to landscape paintings drawn "from life" or in a realistic fashion, but populated with figures from history or literature. This canvas, in fact, makes reference to a heinous murder. Only 3 elements make up the account of the crime: a desolate landscape with a storm looming on the horizon, a corpse in the foreground, and the bandits who are escaping in the distance. D'Azeglio uses the canvas to demonstrate all the power of nature and its expressive and emotional capacity: the sublime vision is made up of quick and hurried brushstrokes, dark light, and earthy, bruise-hued colors that undoubtedly amplify the intensity of the drama.

This painting announced the Turin-born landscapist's full commitment to romantic poetry, abandoning the likable atmospheres that had characterized the previous decade's artistic output.