Ritratto di Mity

60. Ritratto di  Mity, 1941, oil on plywood, cm 90×70

In this large, vertical painting, Catarsini portrays his daughter Mity in a quiet domestic moment. Unlike the 1941 portrait, which was set in the studio, here the girl is captured in the intimacy of the home, immersed in a cultured and serene atmosphere. Mity sits facing us in a wooden armchair upholstered in brocade. Her posture conveys a pensive abandon: her elbows rest on the armrests, and her right hand holds a book, which seems to have slipped into her lap after reading. Her head is turned slightly to the left, with a thoughtful gaze that extends beyond the frame, as if the girl were lost in thought. Her face, with rosy skin and harmonious, well-defined features, is framed by thick, black hair that falls softly to her shoulders. Mity wears a simple yet elegant black dress, which contrasts beautifully with the luminosity of her face. Against this dark background, a striking chromatic detail stands out: a necklace of large turquoise spheres. This touch of intense color is the focal point of the painting, a vibrant note that illuminates the entire composition.

INSIGHTS: Comparing the two portraits of her daughter Mity

Ritratto Portrait of Mity (catalog no. 60): In this portrait, the interior aspect prevails. Mity is seated, surrounded by the warmth of brocade and wood. Her black dress and turquoise necklace give her an elegant, almost statuesque figure. Here, Mity is not the model, but her daughter, captured in a moment of solitude: the book in her lap and her gaze lost off-screen to the left suggest a mind wandering far away, in a peace protected by the walls of her home. Catarsini paints not only her daughter, but her composed grace. Through the contrast between the black of her dress and the turquoise of her necklace, the artist manages to convey the freshness of youth and the depth of a moment of silent reflection. The light is enveloping and soft. It seems to caress the velvet of the armchair and Mity’s rosy skin, creating a sense of warmth and protection. It is the light of the “hearth,” which highlights the preciousness of the turquoise necklace as if it were a family treasure.

Ritratto di mia figlia  (catalog no. 60): Let’s imagine ourselves in the studio at Villa Paolina, where Mity is immersed in her father’s world. There are no brocade armchairs, but rather the living space of work: the easels, the turned canvases, perhaps the smell of oil and turpentine. In this environment, Mity seems to actively participate in the creative process. She is no longer just the girl absorbed in her books, but becomes an integral part of her father’s visual exploration. Here, the light not only illuminates Mity, but “bounces” off the surrounding objects: the dry wood of the easel, the smooth surfaces of the canvases, the edges of the furniture.This light creates sharper, deeper shadows, integrating the girl’s face into the geometric rhythm of the studio. Mity is no longer separated from her surroundings, but becomes an element of the composition herself, like a tool of the trade. In this overlap between affection for his daughter and love for his work, Catarsini finds a perfect balance: Mity in the studio is proof that for him, art and life were one. In 1941, Catarsini continued to exhibit nationally, especially landscape works, such as Barche di renaioli (Renaioli Boats), sent to the Third Exhibition of the National Fascist Union of Fine Arts at the Palazzo dell’Arte in Milan.