Portrait of children 1871

Tranquillo Cremona made this painting of children with oil paint on canvas sometime in the second half of the 19th century. The painting shows a boy and girl obscured in vegetation, an effect achieved through loose brushstrokes and a soft, diffused light. This technique, combined with Cremona’s chosen materials, suggests a blurring of the lines between formal portraiture and something more immediate. The rough texture of the canvas and the visible strokes of the brush make the work feel less polished, more intimate. The way Cremona handles the paint is also key to the work’s meaning, turning a traditional medium to the service of rendering a fleeting, modern impression. The quick, expressive marks suggest movement, capturing a sense of children immersed in a private world. Paying close attention to materials and their application allows us to see how Cremona challenged the established norms of his time, infusing traditional portraiture with a fresh, informal, and modern sensibility.