Childhood

The depiction of children at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Fanciulle tra colombi in un giardino (1869/1869) by Giuseppe BertiniGalleria d'Arte Moderna - Milano

The Two Mothers (1889/1889) by Giovanni SegantiniGalleria d'Arte Moderna - Milano

The Two Mothers

Presented at the inaugural Triennale di Milano exhibition in 1891, alongside Maternity by Gaetano Previati, The Two Mothers is one of Segantini's most celebrated and talked-about works, which firmly established the revolutionary new technique known as Divisionism. This genre scene, which is traditional only in appearance, represents the first step in Segantini's progression towards a so-called "painting of ideas." The woman with the baby, and the cow with her calf, are elevated to serve as universal symbols of motherhood. The studied effect of artificial light, shown in the rendering of the lantern-lit stable, gives this humble scene an intensity that could only be achieved with the Divisionist technique. Inspired by a profound and sincere sense of rigorously objective and impartial observation (influenced by the Italian "verismo" movement), this naturalism is captured through thread-like brush strokes of divided color, with pure color applied directly to the canvas.Meanwhile, a more traditional technique can be seen in the earthy tones. The final effect is a work whose meaning goes beyond the surface of reality, aspiring to represent a universal image of the origins of life. This imposing canvas—together with one of a pagan goddess—was commissioned by the banker Leopoldo Albini in around 1891. They were probably placed in a room in his luxurious home, before they were later loaned to the Segantini exhibition in Sforza Castle, in 1894. It was Albini who donated this piece to the GAM in 1918, in his will.

Christian Goddess, or the Angel of Life (1894/1894) by Giovanni SegantiniGalleria d'Arte Moderna - Milano

Christian Goddess, or the Angel of Life (1894/1894) by Giovanni SegantiniGalleria d'Arte Moderna - Milano

The Angel of Life (or Christian Goddess)

The iconographic precursors to this unusual imagehave been identified in the Nordic theme of the "Madonna zum dürren Baum," or the tree in which the Virgin Marysits with her child. It brings the theme of mystical motherhood together with a prefiguration of the Passion of Christ, symbolized by the bare, thorny branches. The 2 figures are idealized portraits of the family's nanny, Baba,and Segantini's son, Gottardo. The woman's pose, resting on branches as though she is an apparition rather than a body, is reminiscent of medieval and 14th-century depictions of the Madonna on a throne.This echoed stylistic elements brought back into fashion by the Pre-Raphaelites,a group of artists who were of great interest to Segantini. The landscape is also entirely Symbolist,overflowing with references to Japanese prints in the elegantly stylized branches of the birch tree and in the bird's-eye perspective. The canvas is set in a golden frame embellished with stylized ornamental motifs,which was probably designed by the artist himself.Some later versions of this painting, which are smaller in size, have been identified: one made with oil and gouache on paper (at the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest) and 2 drawings(at the Segantini Museum in St. Moritz).

Rural Idyll of the Meadows in the Volpedo Parish (Ring a Ring o' Roses) (1906 c.) by Giuseppe Pellizza da VolpedoGalleria d'Arte Moderna - Milano

Ring-around-the-Rosy (Rural Idyll in the Meadows of the Volpedo Parish)

This is the second version—left incomplete by Pellizza da Volpedo before being finished by the painter Angelo Barabino—of another canvas that was thought to be lost for a long time. It then reappeared for auction at Sotheby's in London in 1980, having been kept in a private home in England for almost40 years. Spring Idyll (1896–1901)—the original work, which is still kept in a private collection—was initially conceived as the first in a series of idyll paintings on the theme of love. The image was meant to represent a metaphor for life, which blossoms and flourishes time and again in the spring landscape. The depiction of children playing ring-around-the-rosy was exhibited at the VeniceBiennale in 1903 where, despite conflicting reviews, it was remarkably popular with the public, before it was sold to an Amsterdam merchant in Rome in 1906. Perhaps it was the success of this image that encouraged Pellizza to replicate Spring Idyll, using the same paper with the original drawing but presumably deciding to add variations. Nevertheless, Barabino would later complete this replica, scrupulously following the original drawing by the artist from Volpedo. In terms of the compositional structure, the artist found inspiration in a successful 17th-century work by Francesco Albani: The Dance of the Cupids,kept at the Pinocateca di Brera gallery in Milan. However,he changed the scene to the natural setting of Volpedo, and specifically the meadows by his family residence.

Madonna of the Lilies (1893/1894) by Gaetano PreviatiGalleria d'Arte Moderna - Milano

Madonna of the Lilies

This piece by Gaetano Previati (originally entitledMadonna) was exhibited at the second Brera Triennale in 1894 as a manifesto of the new Symbolist language that the Ferrara-born painter discovered during his trip to France, in1892. Here, however, the tone is more markedly Catholic than in the idealized, spiritual celebration of this theme in Maternity, the controversial canvas presented at the inaugural Triennale in 1891. The work portrays a heavenly vision of the Madonna with the Baby Jesus in a field of lilies. The disciplined Divisionist techniques are given new religious and spiritual values, inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites, as can be seen in the vibrant splashes of color that surround the Virgin's head like a halo. While the brushstrokes of the floral background are vertical, the Virgin's garment is rendered with a contrasting horizontal hatching effect to delineate her figure.

Prince Troubetzkoy’s Children with Their Dog (1874/1874) by Daniele RanzoniGalleria d'Arte Moderna - Milano

The Troubetzkoy Childrenand Their Dog 

This piece, presented at the annual Brera Exhibition in1874, is among the most successful works by Daniele Ranzoni, a painter who took up the pictorial legacy of Milan's Scapigliatura artistic movement along with Tranquillo Cremona. Pierre, Paul, and Luigi—the 3 sons of the Russian ambassador Pyotr Troubetzkoy—are depicted with their dog inside the greenhouse at their family's villa in Ghiffa, on Lake Maggiore.  The artist adopts an informal approach to his subjects, avoiding rigid, formal poses in order to emphasize the vivaciousness of the 3 children. They seem to gaze out from the oval frame of the canvas, observing us with curiosity,their expressions lively and somewhat impertinent.It gives the impression of an out-of-focus snapshot, in which the protagonists' clothes and postures are recognizable from details that are only faintly picked out, flattened against a background that offers no spatial depth. 

Girl in White (1885/1885) by Daniele RanzoniGalleria d'Arte Moderna - Milano

Girl in White

In this painting, one of Ranzoni's last works,the prevailing uniformity in the use of color and intonation does not detract from the quality of the piece, but rather enhances its tonal variations. It is a painting of light and exceptionally fine textures, as though a filter has been applied to soften the contours,without the emerging figure losing any of its solidity. However, the intriguing element that has long dominated readings of this work is its bohemian feel. The painting belonged to the art critic Margherita Sarfatti, who described it as follows: "Also from that year is this delicate and ethereal portrait of a young girl, from the Sarfatti collection.Painted in white-gray and gray-black hues, this large, trembling image of a feverish young girl,who died of consumption shortly afterwards, depicts her already almost lifeless. Yet it is not gloomy—dreamy and delicate,she has the appearance of a blonde queen from a fairytale; an exquisite, beloved girl from a dream."

Mattino d'estate (1910/1910) by Pietro ChiesaGalleria d'Arte Moderna - Milano

Ecce Puer (Portrait of Alfred Mond) (1906/1906) by Medardo RossoGalleria d'Arte Moderna - Milano

"Ecce Puer"(or Behold the Child, a Portrait of Alfred Mond) 

"Ecce Puer" is the last original work crafted by Rosso, who, in the years that followed devoted himself to replicating and creating variants of the works he had molded up to that point. The plaster figure found in the GAM is the original model,of which there are at least 12 different versions. French Prime Minister GeorgesClemenceau visited his studio in 1907 and personally selected it for the Musée du Luxembourg, which was dedicated to living artists. Emile Mond, a wealthy industrialist, commissioned the sculptor to create a portrait of his son, Alfred, when the artist visited the wealthy family's London home in 1906. The legend goes that Rosso crafted the piece during a night of fevered work at the London residence, but some critics believe that the portrait was actually modeled at his studio in Batignolles after he returned to Paris,from a mix of sketches and memory. The work was exhibited at the Musée du Luxembourg until 1920,when it was removed and sent to the Musée des Écoles Étrangères (the label with the French reference number still appears on the front). After the artist died,his son Francesco got the plaster figure back in exchange fora bronze cast (today found at the Musée d'Orsay) and brought it to Barzio. It remained the reuntil 1946 when, on the occasion of Medardo Rosso's first posthumous exhibition,it went to the painter Ezio Pastorio, who later sold it to the Municipality of Milan.

Bambini e Fiori (o Anna e Lillo coi fiori) (1922/1922) by Armando SpadiniGalleria d'Arte Moderna - Milano

Bambina x balcone (Girl Running on the Balcony) (1912) by Giacomo BallaGalleria d'Arte Moderna - Milano

Girl Running on a Balcony

This piece, along with Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash and The Hand of the Violinist, forms part of a trilogy of works that, during the course of 1912, marked Giacomo Balla's turn towards Futurism. The painting depicts his eldest daughter Luce as she runs along the balcony of the Balla home on Via Parioli (today known as Via Paisiello). It underwent a long elaborative process that started in the summer of 1912—as evidenced by the child's light dress and the many studies the artist left behind, one of which is kept in the museum. It took until the end of that year or early 1913, and was exhibited for the first time at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome that February. The research carried out over those months focused on the study of movement, in particular "organic motion," or the rendering of bodily movement—a particular kind of motion involving the reaction and contraction of the muscles. Girl Running on a Balcony was painted on a recycled canvas, the other side of which bears a rural landscape dating from 1896 or 1897. Balla was clearly aware of Étienne-Jules Marey's and Eadweard Muybridge's use of chronophotography, and the experimentation of Anton Giulio Bragaglia: the feeling of movement is captured through the child's sequential steps, produced by the figure's repetition from left to right and the interpenetration of the railing—the only environmental element—in between. The short brushstrokes allow the artist to move beyond the contour lines, so that the rendering of the figure is only complete when the different colors come together.

Credits: Story

The GAM in Milan would like to thank the Google Cultural Institute for the fruitful collaboration between them on this project. We believe that the use of high-definition artworks, which are freely accessible to a global audience, is the next frontier in Web 2.0 communication. Special thanks go to Executive Assistant Dr. Ilaria Gozzi, who supervised each step of the project, and to Ms. Marivanna Torre, responsible for external relations. Particular thanks also go to Dr. Omar Cucciniello and Dr. Alessandro Oldani, curators of the GAM.

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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