Giovanni Fattori was one of the most well known artists of the Macchiaoli current. Based on the nineteenth century, Fattori's art thus naturally strayed away from the mainstream Italian painting techniques. Much of the paintings were done outdoors to work in the natural lighting. Not only was the painting done in light but also light itself became the subject of art. Fattori used a complex mixture of natural and synthetic pigments. Thus we get lead paints mixed with calcium carbonate and gypsum with zinc in his white hues. Thus there were multiple shades of colours including Red ochre, Cadmium yellow to Prussian blue.
"The Italian Camp at the Battle of Magenta" represents a particularly less depicted moment of warfare. Fattori has chosen the Second Italian War of Independence as a subject. Curiously, it's not a heroic moment but rather a scene of wounded soldiers retreating to get treated by nurses. Rather than glorifying wars, Fattori shed light on the horrible consequences. Officers on horsebacks follow the movement of the wounded soldiers in heavy tranquility. We can find two fallen soldiers on the ground while the wounded lie on a chariot. The battle of Magenta is not glorious here, rather it carries an intense and battered air of reality. The fumes of the cannons in the background depict the ongoing horrors of the war. The nurses in the foreground attempt to bring the wounded back into full health.
“The Italian Camp at the Battle of Magenta” by Giovanni Fattori is a scene from the front, seen not at the moment of the attack itself, but in the interval between the tension and the movement of troops. The impression is based on the feeling of everyday life and organization: the camp lives by its own rules, where people are busy with business, technology, and arrangement of space.
Fattori conveys the war as everyday life, and not as a loud performance. The palette and character of the light help to feel the reality of the area - the air seems dry and cool, and the ground and tents look heavy and material. The soldiers and figures in the background are perceived as parts of a general mechanism: they are not “heroes in a pose”, but people whose fatigue and concentration become part of the story.
The painting keeps the eye in the rhythm of the camp - from figures to surroundings, from action to motionless pause. Therefore, it is read emotionally muted, but deeply: behind the calm composition one can guess the proximity of the battle and how war rebuilds ordinary life into tight, practical forms.
