The Goldfinch

The scene is set inside a household and portrays a young girl feeding her goldfinch in a cage which is set on the edge of the composition. The subject is far from having any moral or literary purposes, and the fresh execution of the brushwork and the sensitive choice of colours are in line with the painting tradition of Veneto region in the 18th century. The subject is common to Favretto’s late works. He was the founder of a Venetian genre painting characterised for its sparkling painting, according to the lesson of the Catalan Mariano Fortuny, which captures vibrant matter and contrasts of vivid colours.