Paolo Monaldi (rome, C. 1704 - Post 1779), Genre Scene

Paolo Monaldi (Rome, c. 1704 - post 1779)

Genre scene

Oil on canvas, 50 x 63 cm

With frame, 65 x 80 cm

In the lively artistic panorama of eighteenth-century Rome, dominated by big names and far-reaching aesthetic trends, the figure of Paolo Monaldi emerges, a painter whose art offers a precious and fascinating insight into the daily life of the time. His canvases, populated by humble characters and set in recognizable settings of the Roman countryside or the most picturesque corners of the city, give us a vivid and frank image and an extremely precious document for reconstructing the dictates of the world that would otherwise have been swallowed up by oblivion. The biographical information on Paolo Monaldi is, unfortunately, fragmentary and not always detailed. He is known to have been active in Rome in the 18th century, but the precise dates of his birth and death are still a matter of debate among scholars. Even the references with respect to his training appear very limited: it is believed that he trained with Andrea Locatelli but there are no documents to support this thesis, postulated for the first time by Abbot Lanzi. Despite this gap, his artistic production speaks clearly, revealing a painter of notable technical ability and marked observational sensitivity. Monaldi dedicated himself mainly to the genre of genre painting, or "bambocciate", an artistic movement that found great success in Rome starting from the seventeenth century, thanks above all to the influence of the Nordic painters operating in the Eternal City. The so-called "Bamboccianti", due to their apparently crude style and predilection for popular subjects, contrasted themselves with academic historical and religious painting, choosing to represent scenes of common life, markets, taverns, popular festivals, bandits and travellers. Monaldi fits fully into this tradition, but with a personal touch that distinguishes it.