Opening Thursday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m., at the Granaries of Villa Mimbelli in Livorno is Secret Signs. Fattori’s Painting in Infrared, an in-depth study dedicated to the most recent diagnostic investigations on Giovanni Fattori’s paintings. The initiative is part of the program of events related to the major exhibition Giovanni Fattori. A Revolution in Painting, organized to mark the bicentenary of the artist’s birth. The new exhibition, with free admission for the opening and subsequently included in the main exhibition ticket, will be open until Jan. 11, 2026. The exhibition offers the public a never-before-seen opportunity to observe Fattori’s work (about twenty paintings) through the most advanced techniques of scientific investigation, returning a close-up view of the painter’s creative process.
The research, promoted and carried out by the University of Pisa - Department of Civilization and Forms of Knowledge - and CNR-INO, National Institute of Optics, was coordinated by Professor Mattia Patti (University of Pisa) and Dr. Marco Raffaelli (CNR). Researchers Alice Dal Fovo, Daniela Porcu, Enrico Pampaloni, Marco Raffaelli and Raffaella Fontana took part in the study campaign, with the collaboration of numerous students from the Pisa Department. Through infrared reflectography, the research made it possible to identify theunderdrawing, the preparatory drawing done in pencil before the pictorial drafting.
The resulting images revealed not only the master’s constructive traits, but also a dense web of afterthoughts and changes made during the course of the work. In some cases, the investigations documented an interesting reuse of the support, opening new perspectives on Fattori’s working method. At the Granaries of Villa Mimbelli, the results of the diagnostic campaign will be presented along with four paintings that were the subject of it: In Banditella. Livorno (In Tombolo), Bosco presso il Limone (Forest. Landscape), Nel porto and Scogliera presso Castiglioncello (Cliff near Livorno). The comparison between the infrared images and the original works will allow visitors to follow the stages of construction of the compositions, returning a more complete reading of Factor’s work.
The project was realized thanks to the contribution of Termisol Termica Srl and the Rotary Club of Livorno, which supported the initiative through the Art Bonus program in favor of the “Giovanni Fattori” Civic Museum. Their support made it possible to supplement the main exhibition with an important scientific section, designed to deepen the dialogue between art and technology. Mayor Luca Salvetti,Culture Councillor Angela Rafanelli, curator Mattia Patti and Marco Raffaelli of the CNR will speak at the opening. Also present will be the curator of the main Fattori exhibition, Vincenzo Farinella, and representatives of the institutions and benefactors who made the initiative possible. The meeting will provide an opportunity for a shared review of the results of the major exhibition dedicated to the leader of the Macchiaioli school, a central figure in 19th-century Italian painting.
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