"The Witch" by Pietro Annigoni
painting exhibited at Villa Godi Malinverni
painting exhibited at Villa Godi Malinverni
Inside the villa, in the current conference room located in the former gallery, there is an important painting on display: The Witch by Pietro Annigoni.
Pietro Annigoni (Milan, 1910 â Florence, 1988) was one of the most renowned Italian portrait painters of the 20th century. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, and, during the 1940s, he was one of the defenders of figurative painting, opposing the informal and abstract trends that were transforming contemporary art at the time.
His career took off with the portrait of Salvatore Ferragamo in 1949, followed by the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 1955, which brought him fame.
Annigoni also painted personalities such as, among others, U.S. President J.F. Kennedy, Pope John XXIII, Queen Margrethe of Denmark, and Prince Philip of Edinburgh. These prestigious commissions earned him the nickname "painter of queens."
"Pietro Annigoni is not only the greatest painter of this century, but he is also able to compete on equal terms with the greatest painters of all time. He will remain in the history of art as the challenger of a dark era." - Bernard Berenson, art historian.
Villa Godi Malinverni also houses a masterpiece by Annigoni. It is the painting "The Witch", purchased by Remo Malinverni and preserved within the villa. The painting, dated 1960, is a tempera on canvas depicting the English baroness Patricia Rawlings, now a British parliamentarian, who had previously modeled for the artist in an earlier painting.
In this particular artwork, the artist portrays her as if she were a witch, draped in a long black shawl and suspended against a red background. Particularly captivating is the gaze of the subject, mysterious and deep. Through a unique painting technique, her gaze seems to follow the viewer as they move around the painting.
This painting and the mysterious aura surrounding it were featured in a local historical novel by Cristina Lanaro titled Il Conte e la Strega (The Count and the Witch), set precisely at Villa Godi Malinverni.
