The Olive Harvest

A native of Tocco da Casauria, now in the province of Pescara, Francesco Paolo Michetti (1851-1929) moved to Naples to study at the Institute of Fine Arts and attend Domenico Morelli's classes. In the Neapolitan city, he came into contact with the most prominent figures on the artistic scene; acquaintances that strengthened Michetti's inclination for realistic and naturalistic painting. In 1872, having signed a contract with the merchant Reitlinger, he left for Paris, the center of the art world, and participated in the Salon, achieving a fair degree of notoriety. The imagery of his works is linked to his homeland: idyllic pastoral scenes, work activities in the fields, religious services, and rituals related to marriage. The theme of work in the fields can be found in the painting "The Olive Harvest", which can be identified with the small canvas titled "Récolte des olives dans le Abruzzes" exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1875, in which the influence of the art of the Spaniard Mariano Fortuny, a great experimenter capable of absorbing the secrets of ancient and contemporary painting, can be seen. In his long artistic career, marked by numerous commissions and honors, as well as participation in national and international exhibitions, Francesco Paolo Michetti devoted himself to studying real life, helped by the photographic medium, focusing his interest on the depiction of unspoiled nature and the uncorrupted world of the Abruzzi.