Francesco Hayez "La Meditazione"

There are painters who remain for a single painting. This is the case of Francesco Hayez, an Italian painter, romantic, Italian romanticism, who has remained for a painting. The kiss, look at it, you all know it, the passionate and passionate kiss of these two young people in the middle of the medieval era. He has remained famous for this painting, so much so that this painting is on the chocolate boxes in the business cards, as well as the two putti, which are at the feet of Madonna Sistina di Raffaello, you can see it here, these too are on the chocolate boxes and are in the Christmas or birthday gift cards. When a work evokes the blazon of the history of art, it enters everyone's imagination. But today we will talk about another Hayez work, it is too easy to talk about the kiss. Let's talk about the so-called meditation. Look what a painting. Who is this woman? I'll tell you soon. In the meantime, let's look at it. She is beautiful, she looks at us with her face a little in the shade, she has her chest uncovered, above all her eyes are pervaded by an existential anxiety. What does she have in her hand? She has a book and a crucifix in her hand. On the book it says History of Italy, on the crucifix there are numbers 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22. Hayez painted this beautiful, wonderful woman that should represent Italy of 1848, the five days of Milan, the rebellion against the Austrian rule. These five dates are painted on the crucifix. On the book it says History of Italy, because at that moment the history of Italy was being made. It was a fundamental point in the history of the resurgence of Italy, which would naturally have led to the independence of our country. Look how beautiful she is, how restless she is, all the topos of Italian romantic painting. She looks at us, she doesn't look at us, she is very serious, she has the face of the homeland. It's called Meditation because censorship wanted this title, but in reality the title should have been Italy of 1848. Italy, the homeland with the heart out, because it licks us, the homeland licks us. And in her hand, the book of History of Italy, the dates of the five days of May. Look at the painting, the dark behind it. Our Italy is beautiful, it represents the Corot of Nabucco di Verdi, our homeland so beautiful and lost. It really seems lost, this beautiful girl of Hayez, extremely romantic. And perhaps Francesco Hayez was inspired by Delacroix in 1830, La Libertà, Marianne who frees the people from the clutches of Carlo X Borbone, who was doing things against the French, against the Parisians. The Parisians had had three glorious days, they had set up barricades in the streets and forced Carlo X to retreat to England and make the governments fall. Even in that case, Marianne, the symbol of France, the symbol of liberty, has a naked breast, because the homeland has a naked breast, just as it is our homeland of 1848, painted by Francesco Hayez. Do you see the strength of romantic painting? There is always beauty, but there is always existential anxiety. The eyes of this girl are lost who knows where, but her hands are safe on the book of History of Italy Francesco Hayez was a great painter, who has on the boxes of chocolates, for the kiss, but who has painted a lot, he has also made many very important portraits, like that of Alessandro Manzoni. Francesco Hayez, Italian Romantic Painter, La Meditazione.