Primavera (bozzetto) 1901

Pasquale Celommi painted this Primavera, or Springtime, with oils that skip lightly across a textured surface. You can see it's kind of a breezy day. I can imagine Celommi working on this 'bozzetto', or sketch. You can almost feel the gentle strokes and quick dabs of the brush as he captures the feeling of spring. The paint is applied thinly in some areas and more thickly in others, which gives the painting a lovely sense of depth and texture. Look at how Celommi uses a kind of shorthand to conjure the grassy field, using flecks of paint. It reminds me a bit of Corot, but with a sunnier disposition. There's a real sense of the fleeting moment, like Celommi is trying to capture a memory before it fades. In a way, painting is like a conversation between artists across time, each one building on what came before, but also adding their own unique perspective. It shows how Celommi was part of a larger tradition, but also had his own distinct voice.