Cliff 1872

Vincenzo Cabianca created this oil on board painting titled Cliff sometime in the 19th century. This is a painting of a man resting by the cliff, in front of the sea. Cabianca was one of the Macchiaioli, a group of Italian painters active in Tuscany in the second half of the 19th century, who broke with the traditional academic style and painted outdoors in order to capture the effects of light and shadow. The Macchiaioli’s principles are somewhat similar to those of the French Impressionists, though they emerged independently. The Macchiaioli were important because they challenged the established art institutions of their time and helped to pave the way for modern art in Italy. They believed that art should be accessible to everyone and should reflect the everyday experiences of ordinary people. Art historians consult manifestos and letters of the artists, as well as reviews and other publications, to understand the place of artists like Cabianca within the social and institutional contexts of their time.