Vincenzo Cabianca was born in Verona on 20 June 1827. Along with other such noted painters as Giovanni Fattori, Telemaco Signorini and Silvestro Lega, Cabianca was a member of the Macchiaiolo group that formed around the art critic Diego Martelli at the Caffè Michelangelo in Florence. The Macchiaoli were interested in reviving Italian national art, and their paintings, as those of Cabianca above, illustrate scenes from everyday life. The Macchiaioli were strong supporters of the Italian Unification, and took it upon themselves to use their paintings to built nationalist sentiment and to help build a sense of common national identity. As Cabianca’s paintings demonstrate, the Macchiaioli style was firmly grounded in realism, and deeply opposed to academic painting styles such as Purism, Neoclassicism and Romanticism.
Al sole, 1866, oil on canvas,
Le monachine, 1861, oil on canvas, Istituto Matteucci di Viareggio
Ritorno dai campi, 1862, oil on canvas, private collection
Chiesa di San Pietro a Portovenere, 1860, oil on canvas, private collection
Cabianca in 1901