Giuseppe Abbati

Giuseppe Abbati was an Italian painter associated with the Macchiaioli group, active in the 19th century. This group of Florentine and Neapolitan artists reacted against traditional art academies, seeking instruction from nature instead. The Macchiaioli believed that "patches" (macchia) of color were the most crucial element in painting, aiming for the painted surface itself to evoke a response rather than conveying a narrative or message. Abbati, like other Macchiaioli, used a sketch technique to capture initial impressions of nature through color and light, a method similar to the French Impressionists but with an even greater focus on experimental color use.1