House at the River 1863

Giuseppe Abbati made this oil on panel painting, titled ‘House at the River,’ sometime before his untimely death in 1868. Its rustic subject and sober palette offer a glimpse into the cultural ferment of mid-nineteenth-century Italy. Abbati was associated with the Macchiaioli, a group of painters active in Tuscany who rejected the academic conventions taught in art institutions. They instead favored painting outdoors to capture the effects of light and atmosphere, and to represent everyday subjects. Their name, Macchiaioli, translates to “stain-makers”, a derogatory label given because of their distinctive broken brushwork. In ‘House at the River,’ Abbati's loose brushstrokes suggest a humble building in a rural setting. The subdued colors evoke a sense of melancholy, perhaps reflecting the social and political realities of a nation still struggling for unification. To understand Abbati’s artistic choices, we can consult manifestos, exhibition reviews, and letters from the period. These resources provide valuable insight into the meaning of art as a product of its time.