Argio Orell (17 September 1884 – 10 January 1942) was an Italian painter and engraver. He was one of the most sought-after Italian portraitists in the 1920s and 1930s.

Biography

He was born in

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...

on 17 September 1884, the son of Giuseppe and Calliope Iconomo. Orell trained with Eugenio Scomparini at the ''Scuola Industriale in Trieste''. Later, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, where he studied under

Franz von Stuck Franz von Stuck (February 23, 1863 – August 30, 1928), born Franz Stuck, was a German painter, sculptor, printmaker, and architect. Stuck was best known for his paintings of ancient mythology, receiving substantial critical acclaim with '' The ...

. He was admitted to the course even though he was seventeen and technically not allowed to do so, wanted by von Stuck, who appreciated his first works. He was influenced by van Stuck who took him under his wing, and at the end of the course was awarded the prize for the best work by a foreign student. Il Gia2

Returned to Trieste, he had successful expositions there, and started "a production both of posters and paintings that extended his fame well above the local boundaries f Trieste" After successful expositions in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and

Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Como ...

, with the

King of Italy King of Italy ( it, links=no, Re d'Italia; la, links=no, Rex Italiae) was the title given to the ruler of the Kingdom of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The first to take the title was Odoacer, a barbarian military leader, ...

among his estimators and clients, he became, in the 1920s and 1930s, one of the most sought-after Italian portraitists. In 1906 he painted the windows of Trieste's Palazzo Modello in

Piazza Grande Piazza Grande is a social-democratic and progressive movement within the Democratic Party (PD), a political party in Italy. Its leader is Nicola Zingaretti, President of Lazio region since 2013 and current leader of the PD. He is considered a soci ...

, which hosted exhibitions, together with

Vito Timmel Vito Timmel (born Viktor von Thümmel; July 19, 1886 – January 1, 1949) was an Italian painter. Biography Viktor von Thümmel was a son of Raphael von Thümmel, a descendant of the Leipzig writer Moritz August von Thümmel, and the Countess Ad ...

. During the

First world war World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he was recruited by the Austrian army, and sent to Radkersburg, together with several prominent artists and intellectuals, including his friend and fellow painter Vito Timmel. During the time spent there, he painted mural paintings (now lost) for the club ''Bohem'' together with Timmel. Orell was a painter and a commercial artist, publishing posters for several companies. Some fifteen posters were found, some inspired by

Leonetto Cappiello Leonetto Cappiello (9 April 1875 – 2 February 1942) was an Italian and French poster art designer and painter, who mainly lived and worked in Paris.

, others, such as "Pelliccerie Cohen," by Marcello Dudovich. He was an appreciator of

Japanese culture The culture of Japan has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period, to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia and other regions of the world. Historical overview The ance ...

. He probably first came into contact with Japonisme during his stay in Munich. Orell approached Japanese art by reading journals and books on

Ukiyo-e Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surfac ...

and studying specific Japanese woodcuts, and at the same time started collecting Ukiyo-e, going on to own a precious collection. In 1910 he painted the poster for the Fair of Capodistria, in which he "combined that

Japonisme ''Japonisme'' is a French term that refers to the popularity and influence of Japanese art and design among a number of Western European artists in the nineteenth century following the forced reopening of foreign trade with Japan in 1858. Japon ...

that came for the passion for

Hokusai , known simply as Hokusai, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. He is best known for the woodblock printing in Japan, woodblock print series ''Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji'', which includes the ...

to the dictates of

Secessionism Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics lea ...

, interpreting them in his own way, offering very elegant solutions." In 1912 he was the curator of an exposition of Oriental art in Trieste. He died in Trieste on 10 January 1942.

Gallery

File:ORELL-Ritratto-femminile 01.jpg, ''Ritratto femminile'', oil on panel File:ORELL-Ritratto-femminile 03.jpg, ''Il Navarca'', oil on panel File:ORELL-Ritratto-femminile 04.jpg, ''Allegory'', pastel and watercolor on cardboard File:ORELL-Ritratto-femminile 02.jpg, ''Trieste in the 19th Century'', oil on panel File:Argio-orell-giovane-donna-con-orecchini.jpg, ''Giovane donna con orecchini'', oil on plywood File:Orell argio - painting.jpg, Portrait of a Woman File:Argio Orell - Acqua Colonia Mizzan.jpg, ''Acqua Colonia Mizzan'', poster File:Orell Untitled (53).jpg, ''Pre-maiden voyage introductory brochure for the

Saturnia Saturnia () is a spa town in Tuscany in north-central Italy that has been inhabited since ancient times. It is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Manciano, in the province of Grosseto. Famous for the spa which gives it its name, its population ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orell, Argio 1884 births 1942 deaths Painters from the Austro-Hungarian Empire Austro-Hungarian expatriates in Germany Italian painters Vienna Secession