Lillo Che Dorme (Lillo Sleeping)

Lillo Che Dorme, or Lillo Sleeping, is an artwork by Italian painter Armando Spadini. Born in Florence, Spadini belonged to the Roman school of art. He chose to paint everyday domestic life, rather than mythical, allegorical or biblical works. His brushstrokes often carried loose strokes and intense colours. Lillo sleeping is painted after his fourth son, Raffaele (nicknamed Lillo). The painting beautifully captures a healthy, plump child in a deep, restful sleep. The brush of red on the cheeks and the lip sits beautifully on the rich yellow of his face. The head full of chocolate brown hair with streaks of black is a fine depiction of the interplay of light falling on the head. Surrounding the face of the baby are soft strokes of different colours meant to create a subtle background against which the sleeping baby gets all the limelight.