Pergola ana Capri. Walter Maclaren (1837-1929). Oil on canvas, 15½ x 18¼ inches (35.9 x 46.4 cm).Image has watermark top left. Private collection. Click on image to enlarge it.
Pergola ana Capri shows a female peasant of Capri carrying a faggot of firewood in her arms passing underneath a pergola. It is a brilliant depiction of sunshine and shade to add interest to the composition. Capri was a popular place for English artists to visit because of its favourable climate. Frederic Leighton, for instance, had spent five weeks there in 1859 and Henry Wallis visited several times in the late 1850s and early 1860s.
The architectural features of the house in Maclaren’s composition are reminiscent of those seen in paintings by Leighton and Wallis of the Pagano Hotel where both had stayed during their visits to Capri. — Dennis T. Lanigan
Last modified 20 December 2022