Il Bacio (the kiss) – Lionello Balestrieri, c. 1912

IL BACIO – A ROMANTIC KISS ON THE WATER, C. 1912

“Il Bacio” [The Kiss], colour etching and aquatint by Lionello Balestrieri (1872–1958), c. 1912. Numbered ‘65’ and signed ‘L. Balestrieri’ in pencil. Size: 44 × 64 cm.

Two lovers embrace in a rowing boat on the still waters of a river. The young woman, dressed in a long white gown, leans towards her lover as he holds her in his arms. A flower-decorated hat lies beside them in the boat. The scene is bathed in the warm light of the setting sun, filtering through the foliage and casting golden and copper-coloured reflections across the water. Overhanging branches and dark tree trunks frame the scene, creating an almost secluded retreat for the lovers, far removed from the outside world.

The charm of this romantic composition lies in the interplay of light and colour. The loosely rendered foliage and shimmering reflections contrast with the more detailed depiction of the lovers. Balestrieri thus captures a fleeting moment of intimacy in a painterly print.

Lionello Balestrieri was born in 1872 in Cetona, Tuscany. Of modest origins, he studied at the art academies of Rome and Naples, where his teachers included Domenico Morelli and Gioacchino Toma. Around 1893, he moved to Paris, where he initially earned his living as an illustrator. His international breakthrough came at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle, where he won a gold medal. He also established himself as an accomplished printmaker, specialising in colour etchings and aquatints.

In 1911, Balestrieri travelled to Brittany, where he encountered the work of the Post-Impressionist artists associated with the Pont-Aven School, including Paul Gauguin. This encounter influenced his artistic development, leading him to adopt a lighter, more colourful palette. Il Bacio fits well within this development: its luminous colours, decorative composition and romantic atmosphere reflect both the painting of the fin de siècle and the visual language of Art Nouveau.

Price: 975,-