Still life with tin foil

Descendant of a Protestant Waldensian family, nephew of the famous poet Pietro, Giovanni Jahier was only apparently an amateur painter. In fact, his artistic career follows the great adventure of Italian art of the twentieth century, while closing in his own intimacy, almost considering the talent a gift not to be easily exposed. In the work that appears here we find a remarkable compositional ability, which places the dark objects over an equally gray background. But in the center stands out the yellow box of tuna on which the tuna itself makes a fine display, portrayed like a little shark. The painting therefore lives between these two extremes: the Morandi calmness of exposing things in the shade, and happiness of a natural expressive capacity.