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SARRI, Egisto - b. 1837 Figline Valdarno, d. 1901 Firenze - WGA

SARRI, Egisto

(b. 1837 Figline Valdarno, d. 1901 Firenze)

Italian painter. From 1850, he was studying in the Fine Arts Academy in Florence with Giuseppe Bezzuoli and Enrico Pollestrini (1817-1876). In 1858 he went to work in the studio of Antonio Ciseri. He was among his last students, and, according to the art critics, among his best.

Living and working in Florence, he used to join his artists friends at the Caffè Michelangiolo, taking part in their lively discussions. Nevertheless, he was never influenced by the Macchiaoli, an artistic movement inspired by the French Impressionism. He always remained faithful to his master Antonio Ciseri’s academic style, as shown in his numerous portraits such as Rossini (1866), Victor Emmanuel II de Savoie (1870), his Self-Portrait (1899-1901, now in the Uffizi), and Verdi (1901).

In April 1863 King Victor Emmanuel II commissioned a history painting, Conradin of Swabia, from him. Sarri also painted religious scenes. However, he is best known for a series of paintings depicting daily life in ancient Pompeii, completed between 1875 and 1887 and which brought him much fame.

The First Steps
The First Steps by

The First Steps

Sarri’s series of Pompeii paintings, done between 1875 and 1887 are still the most sought after by collectors. They are intimate scenes of family life, located in the classical architecture of Roman or Pompeian patrician houses. They always depict a young devoted mother, showing love and attention to her small children.

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Time Game
Time Game by

Time Game

Sarri’s series of Pompeii paintings, done between 1875 and 1887 are still the most sought after by collectors. They are intimate scenes of family life, located in the classical architecture of Roman or Pompeian patrician houses. They always depict a young devoted mother, showing love and attention to her small children. The composition is carefully studied. The Neoclassical architecture, the deep blue of the mother’s dress, the intense ‘pompei’ red on the walls, all these elements remind us of some classical works by the french artists G�r�me, Couture or Boulanger.

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