Bellei

The Card Game #2 by Gaetano Bellei (no date)

Gaetano Bellei (1857-1922) was an Italian painter whose subject matter concentrated on portraiture and scenes of common people living everyday lives. His technique and style was Academic, Traditionalist Western style with clean lines and forms and easy to read subjects with expressive poses and gestures. However, by the early Twentieth Century, this type of art was becoming stale, and the focus of the Western art world was moving towards Modernism. Bellei’s charming artwork, full of joy and life, is an exception. He seems to have been especially attracted to the expressiveness and individualism of faces. His work reminds me of that of the later American painter Norman Rockwell.

One subject Bellei painted again and again was the friendly card game, and depicted different groups of people playing — couples, priests, monks, friends in a pub, etc. Of these, Card Game #2 is my favorite. As the title implies, this is the second in a series showing this specific group of people. In the first, the game is nearing the end. The player on the left concentrates on his hand as his friends look on in various states of concern. The man directly behind the player chews nervously on his thumbnail while the woman’s fingers body language shows uneasiness. In contrast, the player on the right, displaying zero poker-face, is confident in his cards and can’t wait to reveal his devastating winning hand. In the second painting, the cards are finally revealed and the results are wonderful.

In Card Game #2, Bellei’s figures frame the table. The center of the painting is occupied by the winning hand and four glasses of wine, images of entertainment, and of victory and its prize. Notice how there’s no money on the table. This doesn’t seem to be a high stakes game, more like a friendly game between friends for bragging rights. There will be no hurt relationships, just bruised egos, good-natured ribbing, and drinking. The very happy man in the center wastes no time filling four glasses with wine.

The colors are interesting. Many times in art, these dank and drab tones create a cheerless mood, but not here. Here, Bellei uses them to indicate the commonness of the scene. These people are everyday folks doing everyday things. The yellowish tint reminds me of the lighting from incandescent lightbulbs in modern photographs. It’s warm and makes the painting feel candid and more real, like a scene one would see in any gin-joint in any town in all the world. The other colors, browns, blacks, and reds, are earthy and calm. If the colors were bright or pure with a white lighting, I think the painting would look weird or fake.

Each figure and face are carefully rendered and arranged so that every gesture and every expression is separate and distinct, clear and easy to read. The group on the left laughs while the card player on the right flings his losing hand in shock and frustration. My eyes go from face to face, around the piece, taking it all in.

I like how Bellei uses the woman on the far left in the red plaid shawl to control my eyes. Where almost everyone else leans into the center, her upright posture and red and white clothing create a visual barrier. Now look at the two men next to her. They have the same expressions and smiles. They lean at the same angle and wear similar clothes in the same colors. Notice how their poses create diagonal lines that seem to come from her vertical form. To me, they thrust the painting’s movement towards the opposite group and, more importantly, to the objects in the table’s center. The woman’s look and interaction with the others creates a line of sight that also directs my gaze rightward. In my opinion, the man on the very right with his arms spread counters her. He catches the rightward thrust and redirects it back into the piece. My eyes ping-pong back and forth, taking in the whole piece.

Of all the figures in this painting, the woman on the right sipping her drink is probably my favorite. In the first painting, she smiles. In the second, the tables have turned and she is suddenly quiet. At some point between the two paintings, she filled her glass, probably in anticipation of winning. Now, she meekly sips her wine.

Card Game #2 is a charming painting. It has a simple theme with simple people. It makes no statements about politics, culture, or current events. It is jolly and wholesome, and I enjoy looking at it.

Card Game #2 is cared for by a private collector.