Drawing Vincenzo Gemito (1852-1929)

Vincenzo Gemito (1852–1929), portrait of a bearded man with a pipe. Pencil and charcoal drawing on paper, signed “V. Gemito” lower left. Vincenzo Gemito was an Italian sculptor and draughtsman born in Naples in 1852. Abandoned as an infant, he was taken in by a Neapolitan family and entered the city’s sculpture workshops at a very young age. He trained notably under Stanislao Lista and attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples. From the 1870s onwards, he became known for his sculptures and portraits characterised by a direct realism, often inspired by the inhabitants and street boys of Naples. He moved to Paris in 1877, where his work quickly gained recognition and where he associated with several artists of his time. After returning to Naples, Gemito continued to work both as a sculptor and draughtsman, increasingly devoting himself to drawing. An attentive portraitist, he produced numerous studies of faces in pencil, charcoal, red chalk and mixed media. In this drawing, a man wearing a hat and a long beard is depicted in three-quarter view with a pipe in his mouth. The face and beard are carefully worked, while the clothing and background are treated more freely with broad strokes of charcoal. Signed lower left. Presented framed.