Painting By Massimo Gallelli (cremona 1863-san Remo 1956), The Lyre Player

MASSIMO GALLELLI (1863-1956), The Lyre Player, oil on canvas, 62 x 102 cm, signed "M. Gallelli" lower right.

The painting depicts a classical genre scene with female and male figures enjoying a convivial moment: one of the young women is performing on the lyre, singing songs and poems, while the other girls and the young man, perhaps another poet, listen. The scene is set in an idealized open space, a terrace overlooking the sea, with the coastal landscape in the background. The setting is meticulously reconstructed as if it were the terrace of an ancient Roman villa.
The female figures are depicted with characteristic ribbons in their hair or, in the case of the central figure, a garland of flowers, while the young man wears a laurel wreath; They are seated or standing at a marble bench, the back of which is engraved with words, drawing inspiration from the inscriptions on the backs of seats in ancient theaters. The floor is decorated with a polychrome mosaic, just like that of a Roman domus. Other details expertly incorporated into the setting include the musical instruments on the floor—a sistrum and a tambourine—and the papyrus scrolls next to the musician.
Gallelli's hand gives the painting a particular luminosity and a great richness of color.

The painting is a fine example of Neo-Pompeian painting, which flourished in the second half of the 19th century following the rediscovery and study of ancient Pompeii through major archaeological excavations, as well as the general revival of classical culture in the 19th century. Artists sensitive to the historical genre drew inspiration from the environments uncovered during the excavations and from the rediscovered wall decorations, in addition to their already acquired literary and historical knowledge. The result of the paintings was a reinterpretation of antiquity by the artists, which in many cases was an aestheticized vision of ancient subjects born of their imagination.

BIOGRAPHY

Massimo Gallelli was born in Cremona in December 1863. He received his artistic training at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, under the tutelage of Bartolomeo Giuliano. He later won the Ferrari competition, which allowed him to complete his training with a boarding school in Rome. There, he worked with Cesare Maccari, with whom he created several frescoes in Rome.
Gallelli began exhibiting his works at Roman exhibitions and then continued at the Venice Biennale and other Italian exhibitions.
His works consisted of landscapes, allegorical and historical scenes, and primarily portraits, particularly of women. His style was characterized by a delicate and elegant touch.
During his stay in Rome, he also became director and teacher at the Velletri School of Art, until 1896. He then moved first to Florence and then to France, briefly to Paris and then to Nice, which became his new home. Here he won the competition for the fresco decoration of the Monte Carlo Casino. He created several allegorical works, including Il Tè e il Caffè, Il fumo e l'oppio, La joie de l’eau for the Spa Hall. Finally, he also worked on the decoration of the domes of the Sporting Club.
In Nice, he also served as vice president of the Academy of Painting and Sculpture from 1910 to 1923.
The following year, he returned to Italy, where he settled in San Remo, but also returned to work on the French Riviera. He continued to create widely acclaimed portraits, religious paintings, and allegorical paintings.
He died in San Remo in 1956.