Michele Cascella - On the Volturno

Throughout his life, Michele Cascella often returned to landscapes. In this case, he depicts the Volturno, the longest river in southern Italy, rising in Molise and flowing into the Tyrrhenian Sea at Castel Volturno. Moreover, the Volturno is named after a river deity, the Etruscan and later Roman god of all things that flow. In this case, we see trees leaning toward the current, people walking along the river, and a small boat—perhaps with fishermen?—floating peacefully on the calm waters.

In both his paintings and his engravings, we can see the extraordinary technical prowess of Michele Cascella's artistic process. The entire structure of his work is determined by an intricate hatching technique that gives form to objects, creates volume, and measures space. The result is a composition that, in addition to demonstrating great drawing skill, captures the vibrations of light on objects and their interaction with the atmosphere. In this case, unlike many of his other works, we do not find the same chromatic explosion and almost expressionistic decomposition of the line, but rather a representation with balanced lines and soft, almost monochrome colors.

Michele Cascella (* 1892 - † 1989) was born in Ortona, in the province of Chieti. Born into an artistic family, he demonstrated a talent for drawing and painting from a young age, evidenced by the presence of works executed before his twenties. Through experimentation with various techniques, he developed a unique pictorial language in the creation of landscapes and floral compositions, distinguished by a particularly powerful chromatic palette. As Pasqualone explains, part of the excitement his works inspire stems from the subtle balance he strikes, crossing the threshold between Symbolism and Impressionism. These works still retain their power today, captivating viewers and enthusiasts alike. Furthermore, Cascella resisted the allure of the intellectual currents of the last century; he chose to pursue a more appealing and immediate style, accessible to a wider audience, and this continues to contribute to the widespread reception and appreciation of his paintings.

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