CHIANTI CLASSICO

"Afternoon Light" cm 60x120 Oil on Canvas

This is a recent studio painting which represents the most famous part of Tuscany , the one between Siena and Firenze, known as Chianti Classico.

Thousands of visitors are attracted here every year by the beauty of the hilly countryside and by the wines which have been produced in the area since the Etruscan and Roman times.

The Chianti Classico area was a battle field for several centuries, for during the fights between Siena and Florence in the Middle Ages,both cities wanted to establish their power over this  rich and poductive land. Many castles and fortifications were built at that time on top of many hills overlooking the countryside and still today they bear testimony to this glorious past.

In the painting you can see one of the typical farmhouses built with the stones found in the rocky Chianti soil.

I have worked to render a strong sense of space and distance, pushing back the far away hills  using cool colors which contrast with the warm evening light in the foreground.