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Emilio Caraffa (1862–1939) was an Argentine painter of the
/ref> Caraffa was appointed a professor at the Córdoba National University in 1900.
His earlier works were largely Museo Caraffa: colección
/ref> Caraffa was commissioned to lead the decoration of the ceilings of the Córdoba Cathedral, a work completed in 1914. Over time, he developed a painting style of a markedly
post-impressionist
Post-Impressionism (also spelled Postimpressionism) was a predominantly French art movement that developed roughly between 1886 and 1905, from the last Impressionist exhibition to the birth of Fauvism. Post-Impressionism emerged as a reaction ag ...
school.
Life and work
Emilio Caraffa was born in Catamarca,Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, in 1862. His family relocated to Rosario
Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...
, where he attended the local National College (a system of public college preparatory school
A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily designed to prepare students for higher education ...
s), and learned to draw and sketch. He received lessons in painting in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
from 1883 to 1884, an experience which earned him a scholarship from the Minister of Justice and Culture, Eduardo Wilde
Eduardo Wilde (June 15, 1844 – September 5, 1913) was an Argentine physician, politician, and writer, and among the most prominent intellectual figures of the modernizing Generation of '80 in Argentina.
Life and times
Eduardo Faustino Wilde ...
. Caraffa attended art academies in Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
and 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 ...
, as well as in Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
's Royal Fine Arts Academy of San Fernando, where he studied under Francisco Pradilla
Francisco Pradilla Ortiz (24 July 1848 – 1 November 1921) was a prolific Spanish painter famous for creating historical scenes.
Biography
He was born in Villanueva de Gállego, in Zaragoza Province and began his studies in Zaragoza. He ...
and was inducted into the Order of Charles III
The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III ( es, Real y Distinguida Orden Española de Carlos III, originally es, Real y Muy Distinguida Orden de Carlos III) was establ ...
, in 1887.Parker, William Belmont. ''Argentines of Today''. New York: The Hispanic Society of America, 1920. Returning to Argentina in 1890, Caraffa relocated to Córdoba, where in 1896, he received authorization from the progressive Governor of Córdoba Province, José Figueroa Alcorta
José María Cornelio Figueroa Alcorta (November 20, 1860 – December 27, 1931) was an Argentines, Argentine lawyer and politician, who managed to be the only person to head the three powers of the State: List of vice presidents of Argentin ...
, to establish the Provincial Fine Arts Academy.Secretaría de Cultura de Córdoba: Emilio Caraffa /ref> Caraffa was appointed a professor at the Córdoba National University in 1900.
His earlier works were largely landscape art
Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent compos ...
, a popular genre locally, at the time; after 1900, however, his art tended towards post-impressionism - a largely overlooked genre among Argentine art patrons which Caraffa, who enjoyed strong official support, arguably helped popularize in Argentina. Among his best-known early works from this period in his career was ''Head of a Jewish Man'', which he exhibited at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...
in St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, earning a silver medal. Remaining active in the Córdoba cultural sphere, he obtained funding for the province's first official art museum in 1911, and the institution opened in 1916./ref> Caraffa was commissioned to lead the decoration of the ceilings of the Córdoba Cathedral, a work completed in 1914. Over time, he developed a painting style of a markedly
romanticist
Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...
bent, and created numerous landscapes, portraits and works of historic and religious art for government bureaus and churches. The prolific painter died suddenly in his atelier
An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or v ...
in the scenic town of La Cumbre, in 1939.
Eleven years after his death, the provincial museum he helped establish was renamed the Emilio Caraffa Provincial Fine Arts Museum. His works, besides those gracing private homes, churches and government offices, can be found in numerous Argentine museums, among them the Juan B. Castagnino Fine Arts Museum
The Juan B. Castagnino Fine Arts Museum ( es, Museo de Bellas Artes Juan B. Castagnino) is an art museum in the city of Rosario, , considered the most important of the interior of the country and the second in national terms. It is administer ...
(Rosario) and the National Fine Arts Museum (Buenos Aires).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caraffa, Emilio Argentine painters Argentine male painters National University of Córdoba faculty Post-impressionist painters Argentine people of Italian descent People from Catamarca Province 1862 births 1939 deaths