Llewelyn Lloyd: The Natural Beauty of Tuscany at Villa Bardini

At the Villa Bardini, ‘Lloyd: Tuscan Landscapes of the Twentieth Century’ is a key example of how modern pays tribute to the beauty of Italy just as well as the ancient does. This exhibition features 60 paintings by Llewelyn Lloyd from 27 different collections that show the country’s natural splendor far more masterfully than a 21st century filtered Instagram photo.

Lloyd, Welsh in origin but Livornese by birth, arrived in Florence at the threshold of the 20th century after completing his artistic training in Livorno. In the spirit of the 19th century Macchiaioli movement of Tuscan painting, Lloyd portrayed the Tuscan sea and countryside with a commitment to capturing the landscape’s natural light and color.

The works, many of which were created in the 1930s, show an Italy that was much more rugged than the one we know today. This is evident in the exhibit “Le Rocce di Manarola,” which depicts an empty boat floating near a rocky cove at sunset, a far cry from the Manarola coastline of colorful houses with crowded streets that today’s tourists routinely post on their Facebook feeds.

The scenes highlighted in the Lloyd retrospective also illustrate the daily lives of Italians who lived in the Tuscan countryside. Crumbling houses and dilapidated boats provide an honest, less romanticized view of a population that tends to be swept up into an “Under the Tuscan Sun”-esque narrative.

The subject of ‘Ritorno dai Campi,’ is a Tuscan farming family returning from the fields at dusk.  A rigidly upright father and son pair walk ahead, the father slinging a farm implement over his shoulder, while the mother is slumped over and drags her young daughter behind her.

Another work, “Il Paese Dopo l’Alluvione: La Casa Nel Torrente (Meriggio),” depicts a stone house that has been partially destroyed by a flood. The empty house is reminiscent of many of the abandoned homes that stand alone in Tuscany to this day.

Highlights showcasing Florence include “Veduta di Firenze dal Viale dei Colli” (View from Viale dei Colli) and “L’Arno a Firenze” (The Arno in Florence).  While some claim that artistic representations will never be able to capture the beauty of the real thing, Lloyd’s painted images of the Duomo peeking out from behind wooded hills and a stormy grey Arno give these naysayers a run for their money.

The exhibition is open Tuesday – Sunday from 10 am – 7 pm through January 7.  ATAF has just inaugurated city bus service to Villa Bardini.  (margaux glovier)