30 - DOMENICO AMMIRATO (Naples, 1833–1883)

DOMENICO AMMIRATO (Naples, 1833–1883) Fishing Boats on the Shore near the Gulf of Naples Oil on panel, 13.5 x 21 cm Signed “Ammirato” lower right This clear seascape titled Fishing Boats on the Shore near the Gulf of Naples, signed in the lower right corner, can be attributed without a doubt to the Neapolitan master Domenico Ammirato (Naples, 1833–1883). Painted on panel, the work offers, through a close-up composition, one of the many scenes of daily life dear to the artist: a romantic and luminous view of the Gulf of Naples, brought to life by a fishing boat pulled ashore on the beach in the foreground, with a fisherman on board busy arranging his nets or gear, while in the background the unmistakable silhouette of Vesuvius dominates the horizon and is reflected in the calm waters of the Gulf of Naples. The painting stands out for its use of brilliant colors and its extraordinary ability to capture the natural light of the Mediterranean, fully in keeping with the tenets of the Posillipo School, whose landscape style and lighting effects Ammirato interprets with great sensitivity. The view unfolds like a refined mosaic of colors: brown-gold earth tones for the land, while the figures, the sea, and the sky stand out lyrically against a vivid and vibrant chromatic backdrop. The work is also characterized by a rich, impasto-like painting style, executed in “patches,” capable of immediately capturing the beauty and contradictions of the landscape, rendered through an intensely lyrical vision. The depiction of the fishing boat on the shore near the Gulf of Naples, combined with the celebration of light and color, is one of the distinctive elements of this composition. Shipping within Italy: €32 EU: €39