Beyond the Lighthouse

From 9 October 2014, Villa Zito is going to present the exhibition Di là dal faro. Paesaggi e pittori siciliani dell’Ottocento (Beyond the Lighthouse. Sicilian Landscapes and Painters of the 1800s) promoted by Fondazione Roma Terzo Pilastro – Italia e Mediterraneo, housed by Fondazione Sicilia and organised by Civita Sicilia.

Sergio Troisi and Paolo Nifosi are the curators of this remarkable event which underlines the commitment of the Fondazione Roma Terzo Pilastro – Italia e Mediterraneo to enhancing Sicilian culture and its most prominent artistic outcomes.

During the nineteenth century, landscape was a central theme in outlining a special representation of Sicilian identity. The artistic tradition of the island however provided very few examples of landscape painting and the genre was not hold in high esteem for most of the eighteenth century. Then, the traveling literature of the Grand Tour and the rich production of prints used to illustrate it had already identified a repertoire of places and set an iconography which quickly spread among educated viewers across Europe. During the nineteenth century, this vision was absorbed by local painters who then made it merge into the new, modern approach combining Romanticism and Positivism and in line with the national and international trends of the time.

The exhibition develops across six thematic areas introducing the sites Sicilian painters preferred in the 1800s with a special focus on coastal and internal landscape. Next to them there is a section including drawings, with a body of works coming from the Regional Gallery of Palazzo Abatellis, and one displaying photographs with pieces coming from the Alinari Foundation and private collections.

Date: 9 October 2014 to 9 January 2015