The painting shows two children surrounded by plants and flowers. The girl is standing in the front, on the right side of the painting. She is wearing a pink dress and a red cape. She is holding a small flower near her face and looking towards the viewer. This makes her the first thing we notice in the painting. The boy is standing behind her and is almost hidden by the leaves. We can mainly see his face and upper body.
Most of the painting is covered in dark green shades because of the thick plants and trees. This makes the faces of the children stand out more clearly. The red cape of the girl also adds some brightness to the otherwise dark background. The brushwork is quite loose, and the artist has not painted everything with sharp details. The leaves, clothes and figures sometimes seem to mix into each other. I think this gives the painting a soft and slightly dreamy appearance.
The painting was made by Tranquillo Cremona in the second half of the nineteenth century. It is believed to show Margherita and Luigi Villa, the children of Carlo Villa, who was a friend and collector of Cremona's works. The painting was first exhibited in 1871 under the title Schizzo dal vero, meaning “Life Sketch.”
I like this painting because it does not feel like a formal portrait. It looks more like a simple moment of childhood captured in a natural setting. The soft light and quick brushstrokes make the scene feel lively and personal. Overall, Cremona has combined portrait painting with a free and natural style.
The artwork is a classic example of "scapigliatura", an artistic movement that emerged in Milan and Lombardy, Italy, between 1860 and 1870. The movement, unlike conventional portraits, is characterised by loose brushwork, broken contours, undefined-looking surfaces and revolves around everyday scenes. The movement was popular among the young artists as they grew dissatisfied with the established artistic standards of the bourgeoisie. A truly commendable feature of the painting is the depiction of the emotions of the children. The painting directly reminds us of our carefree childhood, which now only remains in memories. Furthermore, the way the artist used his loose brushwork to show nature, which is almost mixed in the clothes and the figures, depicts how nature, unlike humans, cannot be trapped through conventional means.
