He was born in
Livorno, and trained under
Guglielmo Micheli, along with
Gino Romiti,
Llewelyn Lloyd,
Amedeo Modigliani, and
Aristide Sommati. He was a member of the
Gruppo Labronico of painters that met in the
Caffè Bardi. He differed from the
Macchiaioli schools who had portrayed landscapes and scenery in naturalistic light; his themes were intimate and centered on people: often portraits, but could be iconic scenes of mothers and children or just toddlers. His colors were bright, with solid blocks, more expressionist than divisionist. A retrospective was held at the Pinacoteca Carlo Servolini of
Collesalvetti in 2010, titled
Manlio Martinelli 1884-1974 Un amico di Modigliani alla Scuola di Guglielmo Micheli, curated by Francesca Cagianelli. == Works ==