Giovanni Carnovali, also known as II Piccio, was a painter. He was born in 1804. Carnovali was from Montegrino Valtravaglia and he studied at the Carrara Academy in Bergamo from when he was 11 years old. He developed a unique style, blending 16th and 17th-century traditions. He was a painter of the Romanticism movement, an artistic movement that originated in late 18th-century Europe. The aim was to emphasise the importance of imagination and appreciation in society as a counter-response to the Industrial Revolution.
The painting that we are seeing was inspired by Torquato Tasso’s Aminta. The scene depicted is based on the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe, told in Ovid's Metamorphoses. A pastor, Aminta, falls in love with a nymph named Silvia. Aminta saves Sylvia from a satyr that was getting ready to rape her; instead of thanking Aminta, Sylvia flees away. As time goes by, Aminta finds a piece of cloth that belongs to Sylvia with blood stains on it. This eventually makes him believe that she was killed by the wolves. After learning that his lover has passed away, he decides to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff. Sylvia, who is actually not dead, learning the news of her lover's passing away, feels terribly sorry about how she couldn't say that she loves him. As she moves to the ‘dead’ body of Aminta, she realises that he is still alive. He regains his consciousness, and they live happily ever after.
The lighting is soft and ethereal, almost dreamlike. The way that the light reflects on the skin of the figures makes them pop against the dark and moody landscape. The figures are arranged in a pyramidal composition, a classic Renaissance technique that counterbalances the emotional intensity of the scene. Piccio’s brushwork is soft and "sfumato" (blurred), and this furthermore creates a sense of atmosphere and movement, making the scene feel like a tragic memory rather than a frozen moment.
Giovanni Carnovali, known as Il Piccio, creates a tender and emotional scene inspired by Torquato Tasso’s Aminta and the tragic love story from Metamorphoses. The painting shows a moment of fear, love, and relief between Aminta and Silvia. Soft, glowing light gently falls on their bodies, making them stand out against the dark background. The figures are arranged carefully, guiding our eyes through the scene. His blurred brushwork creates a dreamlike feeling, as if we are watching a memory of love, loss, and reunion unfold. It feels gentle yet intense, capturing both sorrow and hope at once. The scene reminds us how fragile and powerful love can be.
