Pecci, Mario
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Works in the New Deal Collection at GVCA by Mario Pecci:
Several stems of pink and white gladiolus are displayed in a pictorial vase, whose unusual scene gestures toward a sailboat alongside a coastal mountain range. Below them on the table are apples, an orange, and a grapefruit. A warm light illuminates the still life and its simple surroundings.
On a plain table is placed a bowl of pears and an Italian jug, apparently that same one as appearing in his “Fruit in a Basket" still life. In the jug, we see a bouquet of roses. Light from the right side of the painting casts shadow seemingly upon a wall at left; if so, the room’s corner isn’t visible due to Pecci’s coloring in shades of brown.
Upon an unadorned table we see a cane basket filled with apples, oranges, and a grapefruit; next to a pitcher, a lemon and another apples. In the absence of drapery or curios, the complexity in this still life comes from subtle elements like the apples’ blush and striping, shadows upon the wall and table, or indeed the minimalist “European” aesthetic.
Upon a table we behold a composition in red: a bunch of grapes, a bouquet of red roses, and a bottle of Chianti its classic straw basket (called a fiasco). Once we factor in Pecci’s white wall and green leaves, it would seem that these colors of Italy aren’t accidental—the still life grows out of a powerful nostalgia for home.
All five of the Pecci paintings at the New Deal Gallery shuffle elements from each other, such as a table perhaps common to all. In this still life, a pictorial jug from his “Fruit and Flowers (1)” receives a 90-degree turn so that its handle can be seen and image recognized. Mount Vesuvius, which underwent a series of eruptions between 1913 and 1944, smolders in the background to a sailboat on the Bay of Naples. The small painting hung at upper right may be one of the villages along this coast—in any event, all objects signifying a beloved homeland.