Little country church 1874

Silvestro Lega painted this landscape, likely in the late 19th century, with oils on a relatively small canvas. Lega and other Italian artists were part of the Macchiaioli movement, sharing an interest in painting outdoors, capturing the effects of natural light and shadow. What I find interesting is the way Lega has handled the materiality of paint itself. He has used loose brushwork to build up the image from patches of color, or ‘macchie’ in Italian. These are the means of production. The rough, textured surface suggests the artist's direct engagement with the landscape. The green, applied in thick strokes, mimics the wild, untamed nature of the meadow. In this way, the material handling becomes a way to suggest the sensation of being there. By focusing on the process of painting, Lega blurred the lines between observation and interpretation, inviting viewers to see the world not as a perfect image, but as a collection of impressions.