Breakfast in the Garden

by Giuseppe de Nittis (1846-1884)

This genre painting of a family enjoying breakfast in the garden is by the Italian painter Giuseppe De Nittis. The woman on the right is the painter’s wife, a Parisian lady named Léontine Lucile Gruvelle. The boy is the painter’s son.

Even though it’s a genre painting, depicting an idyllic upper-class scene (the artist came from a wealthy family in Barletta), there’s something strange and even a little comedic about this picture. Both the boy and the woman are distracted by something going on underneath the table. If you look towards the left, you’ll see a duck who appears to be pulling at the table-cloth. It seems the ducks are on the attack, threatening to spoil the perfectly set-table.

But there’s also a sad story about this painting, because it unwittingly anticipates a tragic event that none of the figures depicted here could have foreseen. Shortly after completing the painting, De Nittis suffered a fatal stroke and passed away at the young age of 38.

Knowing this, the empty chair in the front of the painting seems like a foreshadowing of sorts. It goes from being a funny painting, to a tragic one. The breakfast table as a memento mori.

Today Giuseppe de Nittis is recognized as one of the most consequential Italian painters of the late 19th century. Whilst he is often remembered as an “Italian Impressionist”, it’s important to note that he was also a member of the Italian ‘Machiaioli’ movement (from the Italian macchia, which means stain or spot), which was a precursor of sorts to the French impressionists.

It’s often assumed that the French simply ‘exported’ their style across the world, but the truth is that many similar developments were happening across Europe. Unlike the French movement, the Machiaioli were a quasi-political group strongly influenced by the Risorgimento, (the cause of Italian liberation from Bourbon & Austrian rule). This means that it’s not entirely accurate to refer to them as ‘Italian Impressionists’, even though there is a lot of similarity between them.

Nevertheless, the painting above is heavily influenced by De Nittis’ time working in Paris (where he met his wife). For a while he specialized in so-called ‘genre’ paintings depicting idyllic, upper-class scenes. Being from a wealthy family himself, he could combine the naturalistic plein-air technique with what is essentially an autobiographical portrait of country life. His wife donated his Art to his hometown of Barletta, where many of them remain on display today.

It’s a beautiful painting. But knowing its history, it also serves as a reminder to be grateful for each and every day we get to spend with our loved ones.

Julian

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