Sarri studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence under Giuseppe Bezzuoli and Enrico Pollastrini, and was one of Antonio Ciseri’s best students. His artistic education was decidedly academic and his works were not affected by the deep transformations induced by the Macchiaioli’s stylistic revolution. As a result, his career never underwent any great changes and his paintings continued to be devoted to historical topics, Pompeian scenes and portraits of his contemporaries.
Yet even though he did not share the artistic concerns of the Macchiaioli, Sarri’s great mastery and poetic sensibility are readily apparent in his art. His portrait entitled “Corradino di Svevia”, now in the Uffizzi Museum in Florence, is a great work on a historical subject. Although in his portraits Sarri shows the clear influence of his teacher Ciseri, he manages to give his works a completely personal touch, one endowed with great expressive power. And in his so-called “Pompeian” paintings that were in fashion at the time, Sarri infuses a sense of intimacy that reminds us of the works of Lega or Borrani.
Written by : Cecilia Iacopetti – Translated by: Paola Ludovici and Nanette Cooper
© Studio d’Arte dell’800