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About Francesco Bergamini:
This classic Italian genre painter (1815-1883) apparently worked in Rome. Several of his paintings have come to light only recently: Italian Bohemians (17¾ x 27 in.), An Unexpected Gift (17 x 25¾ in.), Mischievous Music Making (15¾ x 19 in.), and An Opportune Moment (17½ x 26½ in.). In The Classroom we see nine children acting up, unaware that their master is looking in from behind the folding screen. One pretends to be the teacher, seated on his desk in a mocking attitude, while others throw balls of paper. Two in the foreground appear to be warming their hands. There are two groups of three children seated at desks against the wall. Attached to the lower part of a lunette window is a picture of the Madonna, which the children temporarily disregard.
Bergamini shows a flawless technique in both drawing and painting, in a tight and accurate Salon style. First he laid out a perspective grid, evident on the stone floor, then created a believable interior space, as one would in an academy. Everything is polished in this interior genre scene: the furniture, the student backpack thrown on the floor, as well as details in the picturesque costumes. |
Paintings by Francesco Bergamini
| The Classroom |
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oil on canvas: 20 x 32 inches |
| signed: lower right |
| inscribed "Roma": lower right |
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Click Picture to Enlarge
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