Francesco Saverio Netti (December 24, 1832 in

Santeramo in Colle Santeramo in Colle ( Santermano: ) is a town in the Metropolitan City of Bari and region of Apulia, southern Italy. Its current name comes from St Erasmus, martyr of the Diocletian era and patron saint of the city who, according to legend, is resp ...

– August 28, 1894 in

) was an Italian painter. Francesco Netti - Nuda sul letto (Pinacoteca metropolitana di Bari)

Biography

Netti was born at

, in

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

, then part of the

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ( it, Regno delle Due Sicilie) was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1860. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by population and size in Italy before Italian unification, comprising Sicily and a ...

. By 1850 he had completed his school studies and begun a legal career, but he switched to painting, by 1855 enrolling in the

Academy of Fine Arts in Naples The Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli (Naples Academy of Fine Arts) is a university-level art school in Naples. In the past it has been known as the Reale Istituto di Belle Arti and the Reale Accademia di Belle Arti. Founded by King Charles VII o ...

. He also studied under

Giuseppe Bonolis Giuseppe Bonolis (January 1, 1800 – April 2, 1851) was an Italian painter, known for his portraits and historical canvases. He first trained with Muzio Muzii in Teramo, the city of his birth. He taught Calligraphy in the Royal College of Tera ...

and at an independent art school run by Tommaso De Vivo and

Michele De Napoli Michele de Napoli (April 28, 1808 – March 24, 1892) was an Italian painter, mainly of grand manner historic and religious paintings in a Neoclassic style in Naples, Italy. Biography He was born in Terlizzi, in the province of Bari to Giuseppe ...

. In 1856 Netti left

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 ...

for

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 ...

, where he stayed until 1860. Returning to Naples, he worked for a time in the studios of Filippo Palizzi and

Domenico Morelli Domenico Morelli (4 August 182313 August 1901) was an Italian painter, who mainly produced historical and religious works. Morelli was immensely influential in the arts of the second half of the 19th century, both as director of the Accademia di ...

. In 1866 he went to Paris, where he formed part of the Italian contingent which exhibited works at the Universal Exposition. He left the city in 1872, having seen the Siege of Paris of the previous year, during the Franco-Prussian War. After the end of that war, he was awarded a bronze cross by the Geneva Convention for forming part of a military ambulance team during the hostilities. Gladiator Fight During Meal At Pompeii by Francesco Netti 1880 MH

Gladiator Fight During Meal At Pompeii by Francesco Netti 1880 MH

He returned to Italy and settled in Naples. He published various books on art and wrote for several journals, including articles called ''l'Italia at the Exhibition of Paris''; ''l'Arte in Italia'' ; ''l'Illustrazione italiana''. He was knighted as a member of the

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( it, Ordine della Corona d'Italia, italic=no or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for civi ...

, and in 1868 was awarded the

Order of Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the wo ...

; and finally in 1876, became honorary professor at the Institute of Fine Arts of Naples. He was awarded a silver and bronze medals for depicting the ''Arrival to Paris of the Commissariato Italiano for the 1867 Universal Exposition''. Among his works are ''Death of St Joseph Calasanz'', (1859); ''The Madness of Haydee'', displayed at the 1860 Exhibition of Florence; ''After an Orgy'', depicting a Pulcinella character in a masked ball; ''Episode of May 15, 1848 in Naples''; ''La sera del dì di festa'', depicting a raucous party with dancing; ''Donne che si preparano per un ballo in maschera''; ''Una processione di penitenza durante l'eruzione del Vesuvio del 1631, al ponte della Maddalena''; ''La pioggia''; ''Uscendo dal ballo all'alba''; and ''Ricordo di Parigi''; and ''Mary Magdalen at the tomb of Jesus'', painted for the cathedral of

Altamura Altamura (, ; nap, label= Barese, Ialtamùre) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, in southern Italy. It is located on one of the hills of the Murge plateau in the Metropolitan City of Bari, southwest of Bari, close to the border with Basilic ...

. Netti also painted in Neo-Pompeian style, including ''Gladiator games during a meal in

Pompei Pompei (; nap, Pumpeje, ) or Pompeii (, as in the name of the ancient city) is a city and commune in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy, home of the ancient Roman ruins of Pompeii that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. History ...

'' and ''Greek Choir ascending to Temple'', awarded a prize at the 1876 Exhibition of Naples. To the 1883 Exposition of Rome, he sent a morbidly sensual canvas: ''Le signore alla Corte il assise''. At the 1884 exhibition he displayed ''La Siesta''. In 1887 at Venice, he exhibited: ''Donne turche che prendono il caffè'' e ''La crisi''. His painting ''L'Abbeveratoio'', and ''Un ritorno dalla campagna''(1883), were sent out of the country. Netti also completed many portraits and minor works in watercolors and oil. He worked in both Paris and the artists' colony at Grez-sur-Loing later in life.Oxford Grove Art: biography, quoted
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Netti, Francesco 19th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Painters from Naples Neo-Pompeian painters 1832 births 1894 deaths People from Teramo 19th-century Italian male artists