Enrico Pollastrini (15 June 1817,

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

– 19 January 1876,

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

) was an Italian history painter and art school director.

Life and work

He began his training as an assistant in the workshop of a local artist named Vincenzo De Bonis. In 1829, aged only twelve, he enrolled at the

Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze The Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze ("academy of fine arts of Florence") is an instructional art academy in Florence, in Tuscany, in central Italy. It was founded by Cosimo I de' Medici in 1563, under the influence of Giorgio Vasari. ...

, where he studied under the guidance of

Pietro Benvenuti Pietro Benvenuti (8 January 1769 – 3 February 1844) was an Italian neoclassical painter. Biography Born in Arezzo in Tuscany, he was influenced by the style of Jacques-Louis David. He was a student of the Academy of Fine Arts of Florence, then ...

Giuseppe Bezzuoli Giuseppe Bezzuoli (28 November 1784 – 13 September 1855) was an Italian painter of the Neoclassicism, Neoclassic period, active in Milan, Rome, and his native city of Florence. Biography He studied as a young man under Jean-Baptiste Desmarais a ...

, Giovanni Fattori and Silvestro Lega. From 1835 to 1841, he created thirty-two scenes from ''The Betrothed''; a project commissioned by the French entrepreneur, , to decorate his mansion in Livorno. In 1837, he held his first exhibition at the Accademia. Four years later, he presented a depiction of

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

La Rabida Friary LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on Figure 8 ( ...

and, in 1843, one depicting the death of Francesco Ferruccio. In 1845,

Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany Leopold II( it, Leopoldo Giovanni Giuseppe Francesco Ferdinando Carlo, german: Leopold Johann Joseph Franz Ferdinand Karl, English: ''Leopold John Joseph Francis Ferdinand Charles''. (3 October 1797 – 29 January 1870) was Grand Duke of Tusc ...

, commissioned him to create a scene showing a family being saved from flooding along the Serchio. In 1851, he applied for the position of Director at the , left vacant by the recent death of Francesco Nenci, but

Luigi Mussini Luigi Mussini (19 December 1813 – 18 June 1888) was an Italian painter, linked especially to the Purismo movement and to the Nazarene movement, Nazarenes. Life Mussini was born in Berlin, son of the composer Natale Mussini, ''Kapellmeister ...

was chosen instead. Two years later, he was named a Professor at his alma mater, the Accademia. He became a regular participant at the cultural salons in the home of the architect, , and his wife, the Irish-born poet, Louisa Grace Bartolini. He was elected a member of the

Accademia ligustica di belle arti The Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti is a tertiary academy of fine arts located in Genoa, Italy. It also houses a museum (Museo dell'Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti), which includes works of Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Giuseppe Abbati, Anto ...

in 1859. The following year, he became a member of the advisory commission for fine arts for the provinces of

Arezzo Arezzo ( , , ) , also ; ett, 𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌕𐌉𐌌, Aritim. is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of above sea level. ...

and Florence. Hia greatest success came in 1861, at the , with "The Exiles of Siena", a painting he worked on from 1842 to 1856. It depicted the fall of the Republic of Siena in 1555, when many of its inhabitants fled after its occupation by Emperor Charles V. It was lost during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He became Director of the Accademia in 1867 and served until 1875. He died the following year, after a long illness. His students there included

Egisto Ferroni Egisto Ferroni (14 December 1835, Lastra a Signa – 25 May 1912, Florence) was an Italian painter, specializing in pastoral, rural, and genre subjects. Life and work His father, Egiziano, was a Master stonemason. He had originally intended to ...

Francesco Gioli Francesco Gioli (29 June 1846, San Frediano a Settimo – 4 February 1922, Florence) was an Italian painter and member of the Macchiaioli movement. His brother Luigi, was also a painter of some note. Biography He was born to a wealthy family. H ...

Tito Lessi Tito Lessi (8 January 1858 – 17 February 1917) was an Italian painter of historical subjects. Biography He was born in Florence and studied at the Florentine Academy of Fine Arts, under Enrico Pollastrini and Antonio Ciseri. It was there ...

Luigi Bechi Luigi Bechi (March 1830 – November 19, 1919) was an Italian genre painter; associated with the Macchiaioli. Life and work He was born in Florence. He initially studied art at the Accademia di Belle Arti with Giuseppe Bezzuoli and Enrico Po ...

Odoardo Borrani Odoardo Borrani (22 August 1833 – 14 September 1905) was an Italian painter associated with the Macchiaioli group. Biography He was born in Pisa. The Borrani family moved to Florence, where Odoardo enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in 1853. ...

Cesare Bartolena Cesare Bartolena (May 27, 1830 – May 14, 1903) was an Italian painter, mainly of military or battle scenes. Biography He was born in Livorno. He was a pupil of Enrico Pollastrini, and attended the Academy of Fine Arts, Florence. In 1848, he vo ...

Niccolò Cannicci Niccolò Cannicci (1846–1906) was an Italian painter; best known for his urban and rural views, often depicting the intersection of the urban and industrial landscape with the rural and pastoral. Biography He was born to the painter, Gaeta ...

Vittorio Matteo Corcos Vittorio Matteo Corcos (4 October 1859 – 8 November 1933) was an Italian painter, known for his portraits. Many of his genre works depict winsome and finely dressed young men and women, in moments of repose and recreation. Biography He was bo ...

, and

Stefano Ussi Stefano Ussi (3 September 1822 - 1901) was an Italian painter, known first for his history paintings, and later for depicting Orientalist, mostly Arabian and Moroccan subjects. Biography He was born in Florence and studied there at the Academy o ...

Sources

* * Luigi Servolini, ''Enrico Pollastrini'', Livorno, Liburni Civitas, 1928

External links

Biography
from the ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'' @

Treccani The ''Enciclopedia Italiana di Scienze, Lettere e Arti'' (Italian for "Italian Encyclopedia of Science, Letters, and Arts"), best known as ''Treccani'' for its developer Giovanni Treccani or ''Enciclopedia Italiana'', is an Italian-language en ...

Biographical notes
@ the Museo Civico Giovanni Fattori {{DEFAULTSORT:Pollastrini, Enrico 1817 births 1876 deaths People from Livorno 19th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Painters from Tuscany Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze alumni Academic staff of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze 19th-century Italian male artists