Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, Turin (Italy)
‘Mirror of Life’ painted by Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo depicts a march of sheep grazing on the land on the banks of river Curone, as they towards left of the canvas from right. A painting that compels viewer to believe that they too are walking with the sheep, thanks to the horizontal composition of the whole theme. Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo was an Italian painter who is known for developing his own distinct style by trial and error throughout his career. He is said to have evolved from being a realist painter to a Divisionism, a painting technique that uses the positioning of small paint dots on the canvas according to a specific colour theory. The painting gives a very serene, calm feeling achieved with the gentle contours and light illumination of the sun behind resulting in shiny texture of mud pools and the hills obscurely visible in the background. This painting is an example of maturation of the divisionism painting style.
The painting employs the technique of realism, the artist has skillfully used articulate and detailed measures to depict his subject, the sheep and their reflection in the water.
