Alessandro La Volpe stands as a significant figure in the rich tapestry of 19th-century Italian art. A landscape painter of considerable skill and sensitivity, he dedicated his career to capturing the unique light, atmosphere, and scenic beauty of his native Italy. Working primarily during a period of transition and burgeoning national identity, La Volpe's art provides a valuable window into the landscapes and historical monuments that defined the Italian peninsula. His journey took him from the vibrant artistic hub of Naples to the historical heart of Florence, leaving behind a legacy of meticulously observed and beautifully rendered paintings.
Early Life and Artistic Formation
Alessandro La Volpe was born in Lucera, a town in the Apulia region of Southern Italy, around 1819 or 1820. His family background connected him to the Real Collegio, where a relative was employed. Seeking formal artistic training, the young La Volpe made his way to Naples, the bustling capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and a major European art center. There, he enrolled in the prestigious Accademia delle Belle Arti (Academy of Fine Arts), an institution that nurtured generations of talented artists.
His time at the Academy was formative. He studied under prominent figures who shaped the Neapolitan art scene. Key among his mentors were Salvatore Fergola (1799–1874) and Gabriele Smargiassi (1798–1882). Both were established landscape painters, though with distinct approaches. Fergola, known for his role as an official painter documenting royal ceremonies and events, brought a certain precision and documentary quality to his work. Smargiassi, also a professor at the Academy, was deeply influential in landscape painting, known for his romantic sensibility and atmospheric effects. Studying under these masters provided La Volpe with a strong technical foundation and exposed him to the prevailing trends in Neapolitan landscape art.
The Neapolitan Context: The School of Posillipo
To understand La Volpe's artistic roots, one must consider the influence of the School of Posillipo (Scuola di Posillipo). This was not a formal school but rather a loosely associated group of landscape painters active in Naples, primarily from the 1820s to the 1850s. Its origins are often traced to the Dutch painter Anton Sminck Pitloo (1790–1837), who settled in Naples and encouraged his students to paint directly from nature (en plein air), a practice relatively novel at the time in that region.
The School of Posillipo artists were renowned for their focus on the landscapes around Naples – the bay, Mount Vesuvius, the islands of Capri and Ischia, and the Amalfi Coast. They moved away from the highly idealized, classical landscapes of Neoclassicism, seeking instead to capture the specific effects of light, weather, and atmosphere. Their work often featured small, intimate vedute (views), frequently executed in oil on paper or small canvases, which were popular with the growing number of tourists visiting Naples on the Grand Tour. Giacinto Gigante (1806–1876) is perhaps the most celebrated figure associated with the first generation of this school, known for his luminous watercolors and oils.
Alessandro La Volpe is considered part of the second generation of painters influenced by the Posillipo tradition. While inheriting the focus on direct observation, natural light, and local scenery, his work often displays a greater degree of finish and detail compared to some of the earlier, sketchier works associated with Pitloo or Gigante. He absorbed the lessons of his teachers, Fergola and Smargiassi, blending the Posillipo emphasis on atmosphere with a careful rendering of topography and architectural elements.
Artistic Style and Thematic Focus
La Volpe's artistic signature lies in his ability to convey the unique character of the Italian landscape, particularly the brilliant sunshine and arid climate often found in central and southern Italy. His paintings are distinguished by their clarity, detailed execution, and masterful handling of light. He avoided overt romantic dramatization, preferring a more objective, yet deeply felt, representation of the scenes before him. His brushwork is often precise, allowing him to render architectural details, foliage, and geological formations with remarkable accuracy.
His subject matter primarily revolved around Italian landscapes and historical sites. He painted views of the countryside, coastal scenes, and notable monuments. Unlike some contemporaries who might have focused solely on the picturesque, La Volpe seemed genuinely interested in the specific identity of a place, capturing its unique features and atmosphere. His works often depict the interplay between nature and human presence, showing villages nestled in hillsides, churches overlooking coastlines, or figures engaged in daily activities within the landscape.
The influence of his Neapolitan training remained evident throughout his career, particularly the emphasis on capturing the effects of light. Whether depicting the sharp shadows of midday sun or the softer glow of dawn or dusk, La Volpe demonstrated a keen sensitivity to the way light defines form and creates mood. Some observers have also noted a potential, albeit perhaps indirect, influence from earlier masters of landscape, such as the Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens, known for his dynamic and atmospheric landscape compositions, though La Volpe's style remains distinctly Italian and rooted in 19th-century realism.
Representative Works
Several works exemplify Alessandro La Volpe's style and thematic interests. One notable example is a watercolor depicting the Church of Santa Margherita in Albori (La chiesa di Santa Margherita al Marzuolo). Albori is a small village on the Amalfi Coast, and this work showcases La Volpe's skill in rendering architecture within its natural setting. The watercolor technique allows for luminosity, while his careful drawing captures the specific details of the church and its surroundings, likely bathed in the characteristic coastal light. The richness of detail and precision mentioned in descriptions align with his overall approach.
Another significant work is an oil painting, sometimes titled Fishermen near Naples or identified as Fishing Boats off Sorrento. An oil on canvas measuring approximately 74.5 x 106 cm, this work likely depicts the daily life along the Neapolitan coast. Such scenes were popular subjects for artists of the School of Posillipo and their followers. It would probably showcase his ability to render the sea, the characteristic fishing boats, the coastal topography, and the figures of the fishermen, all unified by his careful attention to light and atmosphere. This painting was estimated at auction for €8,000-€12,000, indicating its perceived quality and market value.
His presence in the art market is further confirmed by records of other works. A painting titled Barche a riva (Boats Ashore) appeared in an 1863 auction catalogue, suggesting his work was circulating among collectors during his lifetime. Another example is a smaller oil landscape (23.5 x 33.5 cm), dated to the 1870s, depicting a scene on the Southern Italian coast under a warm sun, further highlighting his consistent focus on the region's characteristic climate and scenery. These works collectively paint a picture of an artist dedicated to the faithful and evocative representation of Italy.
Travels and Official Commissions
A significant event in La Volpe's early career was his participation in an official mission in 1850. He was dispatched, alongside others, to Sicily and Egypt. This journey was undertaken in the company of Prince Luitpold of Bavaria (later Prince Regent of Bavaria), a known art enthusiast and patron. The purpose of the mission was to document important historical monuments in these regions. Such expeditions were not uncommon in the 19th century, reflecting a growing archaeological and historical interest, often supported by European royalty and institutions.
Being chosen for such a task indicates that La Volpe, relatively early in his career (he would have been around 30), had already achieved a level of recognition for his skill and reliability as a draftsman and painter. The experience of traveling to Sicily, with its rich Greco-Roman and Norman heritage, and particularly to Egypt, with its monumental ancient ruins, would have undoubtedly broadened his horizons. While his primary focus remained Italian landscapes, this journey exposed him to different terrains, architectural styles, and perhaps even different qualities of light, potentially enriching his artistic perspective. Documenting monuments required precision and attention to detail, skills already evident in his work.
Florence and the Scuola di Staggia
After his travels and establishing his reputation, Alessandro La Volpe eventually moved from Naples and settled in Florence. Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, remained a vital artistic center in the 19th century, attracting artists from across Italy and Europe. It was here that La Volpe made a significant contribution not just as a painter, but also as a teacher. He founded an art school known as the Scuola di Staggia (or Stagia).
This school was particularly noted for its emphasis on Romantic landscape painting and, crucially, for promoting the practice of painting directly from nature – en plein air. By encouraging his students to leave the studio and engage directly with the landscape, La Volpe aligned his teaching with progressive trends emerging elsewhere in Europe, notably the Barbizon School in France, whose proponents like Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Théodore Rousseau championed direct observation of nature. This approach fostered a greater sense of immediacy and authenticity in landscape depiction.
La Volpe's initiative in Florence placed his students at the forefront of contemporary landscape practices. It connected them with the broader European movement towards realism and naturalism in landscape art. While Florence was also the center for the Macchiaioli group, known for their revolutionary 'spot' technique and focus on light and contemporary life, La Volpe's school seems to have maintained a focus more specifically on detailed, atmospheric landscape painting rooted in the traditions he knew, but updated with the plein air ethos. His role as an educator solidified his influence on the next generation of Italian landscape painters.
Contemporaries and Artistic Milieu
Alessandro La Volpe operated within a vibrant and evolving Italian art world. His direct mentors, Salvatore Fergola and Gabriele Smargiassi, were key figures in Naples. He was a successor to the first generation of the School of Posillipo, including Anton Sminck Pitloo and Giacinto Gigante. These artists collectively defined the Neapolitan landscape tradition in the first half of the 19th century, moving from Neoclassicism towards a more naturalistic and atmospheric approach.
In Florence, La Volpe would have been aware of, and perhaps interacted with, artists associated with the Macchiaioli movement, such as Giovanni Fattori, Telemaco Signorini, and Silvestro Lega. While the Macchiaioli's style, characterized by bold patches of color and a focus on capturing fleeting moments of light and modern life, differed significantly from La Volpe's more detailed realism, they shared a common interest in breaking from academic convention and engaging with contemporary reality, including landscape. La Volpe's emphasis on plein air painting certainly resonated with the Macchiaioli's own practices.
Looking more broadly at Italian landscape painting of the era, Antonio Fontanesi (1818–1882), active primarily in Turin, offered a different but equally significant approach, influenced by Northern European Romanticism and known for his melancholic, Tonalist landscapes. Comparing La Volpe to Fontanesi highlights the regional diversity within 19th-century Italian art.
Internationally, the interest in Italian landscapes was immense. Artists like J.M.W. Turner had earlier transformed the depiction of Italian light and atmosphere. Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot frequently visited Italy, and his Italian landscapes profoundly influenced subsequent generations. German artists, such as Oswald Achenbach (part of the Düsseldorf school), were also known for their dramatic Italian scenes. La Volpe's work can be seen as an authentic Italian contribution to this broader European fascination with the peninsula's scenery, offering a perspective grounded in local knowledge and sensibility. His detailed realism also stands in contrast to the more idealized Italian views produced by some earlier vedutisti like Canaletto or Francesco Guardi in the 18th century, showcasing the shift towards naturalism.
Recognition, Legacy, and Conclusion
Alessandro La Volpe achieved recognition during his lifetime. His debut exhibition in Naples in 1848 marked the beginning of his public career. His selection for the official mission to Sicily and Egypt in 1850 further attests to his standing. The establishment of his school in Florence indicates his respected position as both an artist and educator. Furthermore, the appearance of his works in 19th-century auctions and their continued presence in the art market today, sometimes commanding respectable prices, speaks to the enduring appreciation of his skill.
While perhaps not as revolutionary as the Macchiaioli or possessing the international fame of some contemporaries, La Volpe holds a secure place in the history of Italian art. His primary contribution lies in his mastery of landscape painting, particularly his ability to capture the specific light and atmosphere of Italy with detailed realism. He represents an important link in the Neapolitan landscape tradition, carrying forward the legacy of the School of Posillipo while developing his own distinct style. His work serves as a valuable record of Italian scenery and monuments in the 19th century.
His role as an educator, promoting plein air painting through the Scuola di Staggia in Florence, also constitutes a significant part of his legacy, helping to disseminate modern approaches to landscape art within Italy. Alessandro La Volpe remains admired for his technical proficiency, his sensitivity to place, and his dedication to depicting the timeless beauty of the Italian landscape. His paintings continue to offer viewers a luminous and meticulously observed vision of Italy in the 19th century.
