Bambini che studiano

Spadini is another figure that occupies a leading position in the panorama of art which Gualino was creating. The Bank still owns two of the six paintings that formed part of the collection and they are among the best examples of Spadini’s work. The artist was given a room to himself at the 1924 Biennale, firmly establishing him as a successful painter. He died the following year. Gualino enthusiastically shared Lionello Venturi’s interpretation of Spadini as the only contemporary artist worthy of a place alongside the French Impressionists, almost an Italian Renoir, with some elements taken from Degas. Spadini’s painting is always fluid, rich with impasto textures, full of a sensuality that manifestly evolves into sensitive and intense representations of reality.
The painting of children doing homework is a particularly important example of this. The two children are leaning on the table, writing. The little girl, her head slightly bent, watches her companion closely as he writes on a sheet of paper. The image, in an impasto of delicate shades, is presented head-on, almost photographically, although it is softened by the affectionate nature of the subject. A soft, warm light caresses the children, highlighting the gold of their hair and reflecting on the rosy skin of their faces with their absorbed expression. The colour palette of the soft, yielding impasto evokes tender feelings, in keeping with the grace and elegance of the scene.