Giovanni Battista Felice Castagneto, or João Batista Castagneto, (27 November 1851,

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

– 29 December 1900,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

) was an

Italo-Brazilian Italian Brazilians ( it, italo-brasiliani, pt, ítalo-brasileiros) are Brazilians of full or partial Italians, Italian descent. Italian Brazilians are the largest number of people with full or partial Italian ancestry outside Italy, with São P ...

landscape and seascape painter.

Biography

In Italy, he was a sailor. Nothing is known about his early education, but he must have displayed some talent because, upon arriving in Brazil in 1874 with his father (who was also a sailor), he immediately sought to enroll in the

Academia Imperial de Belas Artes The Imperial Academy of Fine Arts ('' pt, Academia Imperial de Belas Artes'') was an institution of higher learning in the arts in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, established by King João VI. Despite facing many initial difficulties, the Academy was es ...

. According to his biographer, , Castagneto discovered that he was too old to be admitted, so his father falsified information to claim that Castagneto was only sixteen. Confusion concerning his birth year persisted throughout his life. His prior education must have been very deficient, as he did poorly on the exams. Nevertheless, he was allowed to audit classes. Eventually, he was able to study with

Victor Meirelles Victor Meirelles de Lima (18 August 1832 – 22 February 1903) was a Brazilian painter and teacher who is best known for his works relating to his nation's culture and history. From humble origins, his talent was soon recognized, being admitted as ...

and

João Zeferino da Costa João Zeferino da Costa (August 25, 1840 – August 24, 1915) was a Brazilian painter and designer. Life and work He began his studies in 1857 at the Academia Imperial de Belas Artes (AIBA) under the direction of Victor Meirelles.

, acting as an assistant on Costa's work at the

Candelária Church The Candelária Church ( pt, Igreja da Candelária, ) is an important historical Roman Catholic church in the city of Rio de Janeiro, in southeastern Brazil. It was built and decorated during a long period, from 1775 to the late 19th century. The ...

.Biography and commentary
the Enciclopédia Itaú Cultural In 1883, he was able to find work as a drawing instructor at a local art school. He also worked with

Georg Grimm Johann Georg Grimm (1846–1887) was a German painter, designer and decorator who is best known for the work he produced during a lengthy stay in the Empire of Brazil. Biography He was the son of a successful carpenter and was initiall ...

between 1882 and 1884, helping him to establish his studio on the beach at Boa Viagem in

Niterói Niterói (, ) is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality of the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro in the Southeast Region, Brazil, southeast region of Brazil. It lies across Guanabara Bay facing the city of Rio de Janeiro and forms ...

, and became one of the first members of what was later known as the "Grupo Grimm", along with

Antônio Parreiras Antônio Diogo da Silva Parreiras (20 January 1860, Niterói – 17 October 1937, Niterói) was a Brazilian painter, designer and illustrator. Biography He was one of nine children and his father was a goldsmith. In 1882, he enrolled at the Ac ...

, Hipólito Boaventura Carón and others. He held his first exhibition in 1886 and later taught at the Liceu Nilo Peçanha in Niteroi. Giovanni Battista Castagneto - Afternoon in Toulon - Google Art Project

Giovanni Battista Castagneto - Afternoon in Toulon - Google Art Project

From 1890 to 1893, he travelled throughout France, but was not attracted to Paris and chose to paint maritime subjects in

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

. While there, he met

Frédéric Montenard Frédéric Montenard (17 May 1849, Paris – 11 February 1926, Besse-sur-Issole) was a French landscape and seascape painter. Biography He came from an old Provençal family, and his uncle was the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Giraud. His art studies ...

, who suggested that he study with the well-known seascape painter François Nardi (also of Italian origin). Upon his return to Brazil, Castagneto put on a major display of his Toulon paintings at the

Escola Nacional de Belas Artes Escola de Belas Artes (School of Fine Arts) is one of the centers of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and dates back to colonial times. A royal letter of Nov 20 1800 by John VI of Portugal established the ''Aula Prática de Desenho e Figu ...

. These paintings would later be some of his best-known works. During his final years,

Paquetá Island Paquetá Island ( pt, Ilha de Paquetá) is an island in Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro. The name of the island is a Tupi word meaning "many pacas". The island is an auto-free zone, so travel is limited to bicycles and horse-drawn carriages. Paquet� ...

was his favorite place to paint.

References

External links

*
An appreciation of Castagneto
@ Bolsa de Arte. {{DEFAULTSORT:Castagneta, Giovanni 1851 births 1900 deaths Brazilian painters 19th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Italian emigrants to Brazil Artists from Genoa 19th-century Italian male artists

Biography

References

Further reading

External links