Francesco Paolo Michetti (1852-1929) is a famous artist of the Abruzzo region of Italy. Born at Tocco da Casauria near Chieti, a large percentage of his paintings are of his native Abruzzo.
His paintings of the Abruzzo also give us a great idea and understanding of what life was like at the time he was alive, which for me matched closely the dates of my great-grandparents lives that my historical novel, The Strega and the Dreamer, is based on.
Michetti is another great resource for anyone interested in the Abruzzo of this time.
The Getty website states that:
“Michetti exhibited at the Paris Salons of 1872 and 1875, but he also belonged to Scuola di Resina, a group of Neapolitan painters that aimed to bring Italian art into Europe’s mainstream. Abruzzo was his emotional and aesthetic inspiration. He captured its people, animals, and local events in emotionally charged paintings with luminous colors and vibrant light. In 1883 Michetti purchased a convent as his home and studio. For the next twenty years, the convent was a meeting place for Abruzzo’s artists and exponents of culture, including writer Gabriele D’Annunzio. Michetti’s 1895 Daughter of Iorioinspired D’Annunzio’s 1904 tragedy, for which Michetti designed the sets and costumes”
(https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/artists/3317/francesco-paolo-michetti-italian-1851-1929/)
I include several of his paintings here but urge you to search online if you are interested as there are many more to look at.
©Theresa C. Dintino 2021
