Villa Fiorentina 1874

Telemaco Signorini painted the Villa Fiorentina with oil on canvas. The villa here is a symbol of cultivated leisure and order. Think of the garden itself – it's a motif that stretches back to antiquity, to the walled gardens of the Egyptians, symbols of paradise, and even further, to the hanging gardens of Babylon. In Signorini’s impression, the garden represents a domesticated version of nature, a space where the wildness is tamed. We may find similar emotional undertones in the paintings by Fragonard or Watteau in the 18th century, where gardens act as a stage for courtship and dalliance. The walls and the shutters of the villa, too, speak of enclosure and protection from the outside world. Yet, even behind these walls, the windows open, inviting sunlight and life. This simple balance is a powerful visual representation of our innate desire for security and for openness, echoing down the ages, in our homes, in our art, in our dreams.