Macchiaioli painting inspired Garrone's new Pinocchio

The painting The Farewell of the Volunteer made in 1858 by the 19th-century painter Vincenzo Cabianca (Verona, 1827 - Rome, 1902) and kept at the “Giovanni Fattori” museum in Livorno inspired director Matteo Garrone for his new film Pinocchio being released in theaters these days. Playing Geppetto in the film is Roberto Benigni.

In fact, the director was inspired by Cabianca’s work and other paintings by Giovanni Fattori, the greatest representatives of Macchiaioli painting, because of their chromatic simplicity. Garrone himself said that in shooting the film he put the Macchiaioli painting in the photography and landscape: "The places of Pinocchio were chosen because they made people think of the Macchiaioli paintings, reflecting those lights and colors that were able to tell the soul of the characters."

Belonging to the Livorno civic collection, the painting fully reflects this concept because of the intimate, everyday setting attentive to the minute description of reality and the significant role of light and color.

The Volunteer’s Farewell addresses a patriotic theme from an intimate point of view: a young man in uniform bids farewell to his young wife and elderly father before leaving for the First War of Independence. The use of light in this work emphasizes the drama of the moment, illuminating in the darkness the faces of the people depicted.
The painting is based on an everyday setting with strong sentimental tones.

Image: Vincenzo Cabianca, The Volunteer’s Farewell (1858; oil on canvas, 77.8 x 92 cm; Livorno, Museo Giovanni Fattori)

Macchiaioli painting inspired Garrone's new Pinocchio

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