Francesco De Rocchi

Francesco De Rocchi was born in Saronno in 1902 and died in Milan in 1978. Alongside artists such as Angelo del Bon, Umberto Lilloni, Adriano Spilimbergo, and Cristoforo De Amicis, he sought to develop a clear painting style, characterized by a tendency towards “chiarissimo,” “light white,” and indeed, a “chiarismo”—a youthful reaction to the Novecento movement.

The artist's daughter, Mrs. Pier Rosa De Rocchi, recounts that the painting in the Iannaccone Collection, Popolana or Giovane contadina, is one of the most significant works by Francesco De Rocchi. It belongs to the “Gallery of the Humble,” characteristic of the Cislago period. Cislago, a small farming village, is a tranquil place outside of time, though not an Eden, marked by the suffering of labor and the poverty of its inhabitants. From this period come paintings such as Profilo di popolana, La stiratrice, Donna alla finestra, Contadina lombarda, and Il mandolinista. The work in question depicts Cesarina, a willing servant who assisted the young De Rocchi couple first during their stay in Saronno and later in Cislago after the birth of their daughter.

On the reverse side of the board is a sketch of an unfinished female nude, certainly predating the other work. De Rocchi often used the back of plywood boards to create another painting, and sometimes completed and signed paintings would appear on both sides. Why this “reverse” (also common with Semeghini)? Certainly, the limited financial resources, the urgency to paint, and the lack of raw materials at the time compelled the artist to utilize the materials he had available. The Cislago period remains a milestone in the art of Francesco De Rocchi.