Guglielmo Napoli (pavia, 1868 – Genoa, 1945), Romantic Scene

Guglielmo Napoli (Pavia 1868 – Genoa 1945)

Romantic Scene

Oil on panel, 46.6 x 68 cm — with frame, 73 x 81 cm

Signed lower left: “Gugl.mo Napoli Dipinse”

This work depicts a romantic scene set in a neoclassical garden. The wooded landscape characterizes the scene, with the verdant hues of the shrubs, and envelops the figures, who are taking a stroll in the villa’s park, visible in the distance. The noblewomen are dressed in pastel-colored daygowns—light and flowing—that blend well with the bucolic setting of the landscape; a man, however, accompanies the young women as they explore the secrets of the woods—perhaps their elderly father or a page. The painter captures this joyful little group during a moment of daily leisure, offering a glimpse into the upper-middle-class lives of young women of the time, marked by outdoor activities, games, walks, and chats among friends.

Guglielmo Napoli was a painter trained at the Pavia School of Art. In 1891, he participated in the Promotrice Exhibition in Genoa with the painting “Study from Life.” In the late 19th century, he settled in Genoa, where he had a studio. In 1892, he participated in the Exhibition for the Columbus Celebrations. There is documentation of his participation in the Promotrice Fine Arts Exhibition in Genoa in 1900 with the painting “Dintorni di Novi Ligure” and in the Social Fine Arts Exhibition of 1918 with the painting “Ritratto.” Among his best-known works—from the Rebaudi bequest—are the portraits of “Richard Wagner” and “Giuseppe Verdi,” currently housed in the Pinacoteca Civica in Imperia.