Temples at Paestum

(Arnhem 1790 – Napoli 1837)
The painting depicts the archaeological site of Paestum within a landscape captured en plein air, animated by figures and grazing buffaloes. While retaining certain classicist motifs derived from the 17th-century Neapolitan tradition and a rigorous perspective structure, the work demonstrates Pitloo’s transition towards Romanticism, evidenced by the clear, brilliant luminosity of midday. Trained under Van Ameron, Pitloo co-founded the Portici and Posillipo schools alongside the Russian painter Sylvester Shchedrin. In 1816, he established a private academy in Naples that drew artists such as Giacinto Gigante, Gabriele Smargiassi, Achille Vianelli, and the Carelli brothers. As Professor of Landscape Painting at the Royal Institute of Fine Arts, he pioneered open-air painting, asserting that an artist must remain faithful to the landscape by gathering immediate impressions in sketches before executing the final canvas. This work shares significant affinities with his 1824 view of Paestum preserved in the Capodimonte Museum.