GIACOMO DI CHIRICO Venosa 1844 - Naples 1883 The New Born Signed G De Chirico bottom right Oil on canvas, 47.5X66 cm The work in the catalogue is distinguished by its extraordinary realism. The domestic context is described with meticulous detail, transforming the humble objects of everyday life into a source of poetic and stylistic inspiration. The protagonists of the compositions, portrayed with vivid realism, convey a sense of authentic joy and vitality. Giacomo Di Chirico trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples, where he attended Tommaso De Vivo's studio and followed Francesco De Sanctis' lessons. Between 1868 and 1871 he stayed in Rome to broaden his artistic training, before returning to Naples and opening his own studio. Here he befriended prominent artists such as Domenico Morelli and Filippo Palizzi, and became the master of painters of the calibre of Antonio Ferrigno and Pietro Scoppetta. One of his most famous paintings, Palm Sunday, earned him the silver medal at the 1874 Ferrara Exhibition, organised for the 4th centenary of Ludovico Ariosto's birth. Another significant work, Sposalizio in Basilicata, achieved great success and was widely exhibited abroad: exhibited in Paris in 1877, in Vienna in 1879 and in Munich in 1882, it was bought in 1876 by the famous French merchant Adolphe Goupil, who contributed to the promotion of his art by exhibiting other works of his in the renowned Goupil & Cie gallery in Paris. Despite his relatively short career, Di Chirico received numerous recognitions: an honour prize at the Neapolitan exhibition, two gold medals awarded by the Municipality of Venosa and the Province of Basilicata respectively, as well as the prestigious Knight's Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy, conferred on him by King Victor Emmanuel II.