Born into a wealthy family in Florence in 1835, Telemaco Signorini is often described as fundamental to the development of the Macchiaioli. In 1855, Signorini began to frequent the Caffe Michelangelo in Florence, where he met Giovanni Fattori, Silvestro Lega and other artists who together were to form this group of artists who, much like the Impressionists, looked to work outside, en plein air.

Signorini was a fierce patriot and after volunteering to fight in the Second Italian War of Independence, he painted military scenes which he exhibited in the early 1860s. In 1861 he traveled to Paris where he met and became friends with a group of Italian ex patriot artists including Giuseppe de Nittis, Giovanni Boldini and Federico Zandomeneghi.

Upon the death of his father in 1862, he returned to Italy, and in the company of Silvestro Lega painted studies of the countryside and the working people in and around Florence. In this period, he produced some of his most famous works, such as On the banks of the Arno in spring and L'alzaia (The Tow Path). In the 1870s Signorini traveled frequently, both at home and further afield. In 1873 he embarked on one of several trips he was to make to Great Britain, traveling with Giuseppe de Nittis to London. He was to return in 1881 for a longer period, journeying also to Scotland. His work was well received and he exhibited both at the Royal Academy and The Grosvenor Gallery.

Towards the end of his life he taught at the 'Instituto Superiore di Belle Arte' in Florence; he died in 1901.

At his best, Signorini was able to capture the natural beauty of the landscape he was portraying, as well as the character of the towns and the working people therein. He was a passionate art critic and contributed to various periodicals, as well as being one of the first Italian artists to embrace photography as a compositional tool; he was even a well-known authority on coffee.