'Woman Alone with Her Thoughts' by Carlo Striccoli (circa 1960s)

'Woman Alone with Her Thoughts', oil on canvas, by Carlo Striccoli (circa 1960s). A striking half-length portrait captures a stylishly dressed woman in her chair, transfixed in her own thoughts. She is not waiting for anyone, and nothing in her bearing suggests she wishes she were. Loose auburn hair falls softly about her shoulders while her eyes meet the viewer's with a level, faintly distant directness. Dressed in a soft pink blouse with blue cravat, she reads as the strong, independent type; a woman entirely comfortable in her own company, unhurried and untroubled by solitude. Striccoli builds the figure with loose, confident strokes of colour against a moody, atmospheric background of blues and greys, allowing form to emerge from colour and gesture rather than careful outline, a hallmark of Expressionist technique and well suited to a subject defined as much by inner presence as outward appearance. The painting is signed by the artist in the lower right. It is in good overall condition and has been elegantly framed with a linen slip. Please enjoy the many photos accompanying the listing. Upon request a video will be provided. 

Dimensions with Frame:

H 71 cm / 28"

W 60.5 cm / 23.8"

Dimension without Frame:

H 60 cm / 23.6"

W 50 cm / 19.7"

About the Artist: Carlo Striccoli (1897-1980) was a significant Italian painter of the 20th century, and one of the principal figures of the Neapolitan Novecento movement. The son of the architect who designed Altamura's Teatro Mercadante, Striccoli was raised in a cultured household and showed early talent as both a poet and a violinist, performing at his father's theatre as a teenager. In 1914, he moved to Naples to study at the Accademia di Belle Arti, and graduated with distinction in painting in 1925–26. He exhibited widely and prominently throughout his career, including at the Venice Biennale (which dedicated a solo exhibition to him in 1940), the Rome Quadriennale, and the 1937 Exposition Internationale des Arts et des Techniques in Paris, where he won a gold medal. His style evolved continuously over his career, moving from academic training into Expressionism, and edging toward Informalism in his final works. His paintings are held in major public collections, including the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, the Quadreria del Quirinale, and the Intesa Sanpaolo collection. He died in Arezzo in 1980.