Road on the plain 1890

Giovanni Costa’s painting "Road on the Plain" shows a solitary figure walking along a dusty road. The vast, open landscape connects to the Macchiaioli movement of late 19th-century Italy. These artists, active in Tuscany, moved away from academic art. Costa was a leader in this artistic revolution, which aimed to represent the world as perceived, not as prescribed by artistic conventions. The choice of a common road and a lone traveler, combined with Costa’s broken brushstrokes, embodies the Macchiaioli focus on everyday life. This painting diverges from idealized or historical subjects favored by the Italian academies, and the movement was considered progressive in its time, challenging the aesthetic norms of the Italian art establishment. To understand Costa's impact, one might explore period writings about the Macchiaioli or the records of Italian art institutions. This artwork serves as a window into a specific moment of cultural shift.