Filippo de Pisis – a dandy, aristocrat, writer, and painter – lived in Rome, Milan, Venice, and Paris, in search of artistic inspiration and life experiences. Renowned for his melancholic landscapes and still lifes, such as Vaso di fiori (1942) and Vaso di fiori con ventaglio (1952), de Pisis also devoted himself to representing the male nude, particularly in Paris, where he could live more openly as a homosexual. He frequently invited young male prostitutes to his studio at 7 Rue Servandoni. He portrayed them in languid poses reminiscent of Renaissance painting, creating a suspended erotic atmosphere. The delicate Volto di ragazzo (1931) and Ragazzo con cappello (mid-1930s) exemplify his skill in capturing his subject’s personality. La bottiglia tragica (1927) alludes to a dramatic episode in the painter’s life: during a conversation with two young men he had invited to his studio, they suddenly attacked and attempted to rob him. After fighting them off, de Pisis surveyed his table, adorned with a colourful tablecloth and overloaded with various objects, including his palette. This image remained etched in his mind, inspiring a symbolic still life.
—Antonella Camarda
