ROSSO, Medardo
(b. 1858, Torino, d. 1928, Milano)

Laughing Woman

1891
Bronze, height 59 cm
Galleria dell'Arte Moderna, Palazzo Pitti, Florence

A rebellious character who as a student protested against traditional teaching methods at the Accademia di Brera in Milan, Rosso became an artist with a highly personal artistic language. His bent for naturalistic, contemporary subjects is evident in this psychological study of a laughing woman whose bust-length figure is embedded into her environment. A dematerialization through variations of light and atmosphere achieves a painterly, impressionistic quality. The work was executed during the artist's prolonged stay in Paris where he made contacts with the Post-Impressionists.