Vincenzo Gemito

E. Somaré and A. Schettini, Gemito, Milan 1944, no. 105

This pen and ink study of a young child, executed by the Neapolitan sculptor and draughtsman Vincenzo Gemito, is a very tender and emotive drawing.  Although Gemito is most widely recognised as a draughtsman for the numerous self portraits that he executed throughout his lifetime, he also known devoted his artistic energies to depicting his family, creating a number of portraits of his wife, Anna Cutolo, as well as their daughter Giuseppina and other family members.  Given the sensitive rendering of the head study, it is plausible that the young child portrayed is a close family member, or a family friend with close associations to the artist.