Niccolò was first introduced to painting by his father, painter Gaetano Cannicci. From 1862 to 1865 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, under Pollastrini, occasionally attending Antonio Ciseri’s nude drawing classes. After 1868, he went to live at his father’s house in S. Gimignano due to health problems. It was there that his personal style as a painter began to coalesce from his undeniable academic training in combination with his natural inclination towards observing nature. Cannicci painted strictly from real life. The hills around Siena were his studio; he painted the countryside right out in the sunshine, with a delicate and moderate palette.
In 1875 he visited Paris with his best friend Francesco Gioli, along with Giovanni Fattori and Egisto Ferroni. Niccolò was never really close to the Macchiaioli and only marginally a member of the group. He stands out for a more personal and wide ranging quest. In 1889 he was called as one of the Tuscan artists invited to the Universal Exhibition in Paris, where he received an award for his painting “Ritorno da una festa” (Coming back from a celebration). Niccolò had a studio in Florence where he would retreat with the coming of the rainy season. He would bring his works there and get together with his friends Fattori, Signorini, Diego Martelli, Francesco and Luigi Gioli.
At the end of 1891 he was admitted to Siena’s psychiatric hospital for a long period of time. Once he recovered, in 1893, he chose to live in Montemuccioli, near Volterra, where his friends came to see him frequently. He visited Diego Martelli in Castiglioncello and Francesco Gioli in Fauglia. In these years he painted his “Album con i ritratti dei malati di mente” (Sketchbook of portraits of mental patients), which he later gave to Martelli as a gift, and numerous works that emphasize his preference for solitude and contemplation. Niccolò was first introduced to painting by his father, painter Giacomo Cannicci. From 1862 to 1865 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, under Pollastrini, occasionally attending Antonio Ciseri’s nude drawing classes. After 1868, he went to live at his father’s house in S. Gimignano due to health problems. It was there that his personal style as a painter began to coalesce from his undeniable academic training in combination with his natural inclination towards observing nature. Cannicci painted strictly from real life. The hills around Siena were his studio; he painted the countryside right out in the sunshine, with a delicate and moderate palette.
In 1875 he visited Paris with his best friend Francesco Gioli, along with Giovanni Fattori and Egisto Ferroni. Niccolò was never really close to the Macchiaioli and only marginally a member of the group. He stands out for a more personal and wide ranging quest. In 1889 he was called as one of the Tuscan artists invited to the Universal Exhibition in Paris, where he received an award for his painting “Ritorno da una festa” (Coming back from a celebration). Niccolò had a studio in Florence where he would retreat with the coming of the rainy season. He would bring his works there and get together with his friends Fattori, Signorini, Diego Martelli, Francesco and Luigi Gioli. At the end of 1891 he was admitted to Siena’s psychiatric hospital for a long period of time. Once he recovered, in 1893, he chose to live in Montemuccioli, near Volterra, where his friends came to see him frequently. He visited Diego Martelli in Castiglioncello and Francesco Gioli in Fauglia. In these years he painted his “Album con i ritratti dei malati di mente” (Sketchbook of portraits of mental patients), which he later gave to Martelli as a gift, and numerous works that emphasize his preference for solitude and contemplation.
Written by : Cecilia Iacopetti – Translated by: Paola Ludovici and Nanette Cooper
© Studio d’Arte dell’800
