In a Garden in Amalfi

(1845 – 1924)
This piece represents a signature work from the mature period of Gaetano Capone, the leader of the Maiori school of painters, and dates to the early years of the twentieth century. A refined watercolour on card, it stands as a quintessential example of genre painting. Moving beyond pure realistic constraints, the work reveals an empathetic sensitivity in the depiction of working-class subjects, beautifully captured in the figure of a peasant woman gathering lemons within an Amalfi garden. Much like Fishermen (entry 28), Mother with Child (entry 29), and Courtship in Ravello (entry 47), Capone ennobles the everyday rural life of the Coast through an engaged observation that restores dignity to local traditions, masterfully conveyed through the luminous transparency and freshness unique to the watercolour medium.