Born into a family of modest income in Leghorn, Cafiero Filippelli started working at a very young age, but still managed to gain his diploma at the Scuola d’Arte e Mestieri. Thanks to a scholarship he then went to the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze, where he got to know Giovanni Fattori and Galileo Chini.
In 1922 he had his first success at the “Primaverile Fiorentina”, in 1923 he exhibited at the Turin Quadrennial Exhibition and at the second Rome Biennial, and in 1924 and 1926 he showed at the Venice Biennial.
Landscape, still life and portrait painter, Filippelli is especially famous for his small genre paintings showing scenes from family and domestic life, painted in artificial light, usually by the light of oil lamps, that gives them their warm, intimate atmosphere.
Written by: Gioela Massagli – Translated by: Catherine Biggerstaff
© Studio d’Arte dell’800
