Provenance: Private collection.
The wide valley of Bagnoli is reached from Naples via the Grotto of Posillipo and welcomes travellers by offering one of the most extraordinary landscapes of the outskirts of the capital of the Kingdom: Nisida Island on the left and on the right is the Gulf of Pozzuoli, closed off from Capo Miseno. In the background, on the sea, is Procida Island, which is dominated by Ischia and the impending threat from the sharp cone of Mount Epomeo. Since the first known painting by Gentile (A Landscape with a lake in 1798) was placed in the study of Francis II in the Royal Palace besides a series of gouaches with views of the United made by Philipp Hackert for Bourbon, we cannot be surprised by its strong dependence on the lessons by the great German painter. This influence is above all evident from the scenic setting, with a big tree on the left as a backdrop for an opening.
Noteworthy is the depiction of the double curtain of trees on the road to Pozzuoli, which offered cool shade in summer and shelter from the rain in winter. They were described in contemporary guides – which also reported them being poplars and mulberry – but were rarely portrayed in the many paintings done of the exact same subject. The presence of a French uniform military here allows us to date this painting to the first decade of the nineteenth century. In the second image, pendant to the above, is depicted the small fishing village of Mergellina with a small marina and the church of the Friars at the foot of the Posillipo hills. This painting is particularly emblematic of the particular style of the artist. In sharp contrast with the other gouache contemporary painters, Gentile in his
drawings applies to both landscape and characters a touch that is pure and delicate, with a coating of transparent colour, almost impalpable. As a consequence, the preferred hues are as clear as possible. The final result is the return of an atmosphere of serene tranquility, flooded by an almost metaphysical bright light. This successful use of chromatic technique in frescoes is probably not so strange given that he practiced continuously with his father Pasquale (Peter Calà Ulloa, Pensées et souvenirs sur la littérature contemporaine du Royaume de Naples, 2 vols., Geneva 1858-59, p. 276).