Macchiaioli Revolution Explored in Monza Exhibition

The Villa Reale in Monza hosts a new exhibition tracing the birth of en plein air painting and the Macchiaioli movement, coinciding with Italian unification and the Savoy's acquisition of the villa. Mayor Paolo Pilotto and culture assessor Arianna Bettin note the historical significance. The show begins with the movement's ties to the Barbizon School and artists like Corot, Breton, and Rousseau, whose landscape innovations influenced Italian painters at Florence's Caffè Michelangiolo and the Scuola di Staggia. In 1856, Telemaco Signorini developed the "macchia" technique—a method to capture light and tonal contrasts directly from nature. The exhibition explores connections between the Macchiaioli and photography, featuring works by Signorini, Giovanni Fattori, and others. It concludes with the movement's legacy, hinting at a potential sequel. The show offers a thorough art history lesson, though the entrance is poorly marked.