François Nardi (7 December 1861, Nice – 28 November 1936, Toulon) was a French painter of Italian heritage who specialized in maritime scenes.

Biography

His parents were Italian immigrants from Campi Bisenzio, near Florence. He displayed an early talent for art and left the family's millinery business to paint in the countryside. There, he was noticed by Frédéric Montenard, the noted Provençal painter, who was impressed with his work and encouraged him to study in Paris.Brief biography
@ the City of Toulon website. In 1887, he enrolled at the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

, where he studied with Tony Robert-Fleury. Two years later he won first prize at the Academy's exhibition and displayed his work at the Salon des Artistes Français. In 1890, his canvas "La rade de Toulon : effet de mistral" (The Harbor at Toulon, Mistral effect) was purchased by the French government and his career was launched. Over the next ten years, he was invited to participate in several international exhibitions, including the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The details of his life at this time are sketchy, but he appears to have divided his time between Toulon and his studios in Paris on Montmartre where he met with colleagues from the Académie Julian. He was especially supportive of foreign artists studying in France, such as

Emanuel Phillips Fox Emanuel Phillips Fox (12 March 1865 – 8 October 1915) was an Australian impressionism, impressionist painter. After studying at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School in Melbourne, Fox travelled to Paris to study in 1886. He remained in ...

E. Irving Couse Eanger Irving Couse (September 3, 1866 – April 26, 1936) was an American artist and a founding member and first president of the Taos Society of Artists. Born and reared in Saginaw, Michigan, he went to New York City and Paris to study art. Wh ...

and

Umberto Veruda Umberto Veruda (6 April 1868, Trieste - 29 August 1904, Trieste) was an Austro-Hungarian painter, known for his portraits and upper-class society scenes. Biography He was born to a family of modest means. He was introduced to the art of painting ...

. In 1891, upon the recommendation of Montenard, he accepted the well-known Brazilian painter

Giovanni Battista Castagneto Giovanni Battista Felice Castagneto, or João Batista Castagneto, (27 November 1851, Genoa – 29 December 1900, Rio de Janeiro) was an Italo-Brazilian landscape and seascape painter. Biography In Italy, he was a sailor. Nothing is known abou ...

as a student, showing him how to brighten his palette and paint maritime subjects. He married in 1899, but soon experienced a series of misfortunes. Both his parents died and he lost his first child in the same year. In 1907, his daughter died from

scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as Scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'' a Group A streptococcus (GAS). The infection is a type of Group A streptococcal infection (Group A strep). It most commonly affects childr ...

, at age five. In 1909, he suffered an attack of

hemiplegia Hemiparesis, or unilateral paresis, is weakness of one entire side of the body ('' hemi-'' means "half"). Hemiplegia is, in its most severe form, complete paralysis of half of the body. Hemiparesis and hemiplegia can be caused by different medic ...

which restricted his ability to paint, especially outside of his studio. President Jean Jaurès paid a visit during a campaign tour to offer his sympathy. Retiring to Toulon, he lost all interest in his old associates, exhibitions and honors of any sort, although he continued to paint and give art lessons to a few selected students. He returned to Paris only once, in 1931, at the urging of his friends, to participate in a show at the Salon des Artistes Français. But, by then, he was virtually forgotten. Five years later, he died in his studio. An elementary school in Toulon has been named after him.Ecole élemetaire François Nardi website
/ref>

References

External links

More works by Nardi
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Nardi, Francois 1861 births 1936 deaths 19th-century French painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French male painters French marine artists French people of Italian descent Artists from Toulon 19th-century French male artists

Biography

References

Further reading

External links