Courtship in Ravello

(Maiori 1845 – 1924)
This refined work on paper by Gaetano Capone, the leader of the Maiori school of painters, is rendered in watercolour—a technique to which the artist dedicated himself with notable acclaim during his mature period. An excellent example of a genre scene, this sheet reveals a keen and poetic sensitivity in the depiction of the popular subjects of the Amalfi Coast: a young man is captured in an intimate moment towards a young maiden, set against the backdrop of Ravello. Much like Fishermen (entry 28) and Mother with Child (entry 29), and In a Garden in Amalfi (entry 51) Capone does not renounce the poetics of truth, ennobling everyday life through an empathetic observation that restores dignity to local traditions and sentiments, here conveyed through the luminous transparency and freshness of the watercolour medium.