Giuseppe Ferdinando Piana (3 December 1864 - 29 April 1956) was an Italian painter.

Life and career

Piana shows from an early age a strong aptitude for painting. It was

Ernest Meissonier Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier (; 21 February 181531 January 1891) was a French Classicist painter and sculptor famous for his depictions of Napoleon, his armies and military themes. He documented sieges and manoeuvres and was the teacher of Éd ...

who, during one of his stays in

Bordighera Bordighera (; lij, A Bordighea, locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Imperia, Liguria (Italy). Geography Bordighera is located from the land border between Italy and France, and it is possible to see the French coast with a nak ...

at Villa Garnier, recommended to his parents to make him study arts. In 1882 Giuseppe Ferdinando Piana moved to Turin to study all' Albertina Academy where he had as professors Francesco Gamba and

Andrea Gastaldi Andrea Gastaldi (April 18, 1826 – January 9, 1889) was an Italian painter, primarily of historical canvases and portraits. Biography Gastaldi was born and died in Turin, Piedmont. He studied at the Accademia Albertina under Michele Cusa, ...

. It is in Turin that he made his first paintings: "A ponenete di Bordighera, campagna ligure", "Politica rustica" and in 1898 "Studio d'artista" that will be purchased by the government. In 1903 he moved to Sesto San Giovanni, he exhibited at the Permanent show in Milan where he presented "Peace", which received unexpected praise. In 1906 he was invited to the National exhibition in Milan where he presented "Cortile dei leoni a Granada", "La danza delle olive" and "Mare dopo la pioggia". The latter two paintings were purchased by the Galleria d'Arte Moderna (Milan). In 1919 he participated in the Quadrennial Turin presenting "Ultima onda" and in the same year he became a member of the prestigious

Brera Academy The Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera ("academy of fine arts of Brera"), also known as the or Brera Academy, is a state-run tertiary public academy of fine arts in Milan, Italy. It shares its history, and its main building, with the Pinacoteca di ...

. Besides painting, he also studied the fresco technique and Queen Margaret commissioned him one for Villa Etelinda. Having lived in Bordighera he got to know all the local artists of his time, including Charles Garnier, Mosé Bianchi,

Hermann Nestel Herman Nestel (1858-1905) was a German painter. Biography Hermann Nestel was born in Stuttgart and, from an early age, showed a particular aptitude for the arts. He began his artistic training in his hometown and then moved to Munich and Berlin. ...

Friederich von Kleudgen Baron Friedrich von Kleudgen, sometimes known by his nickname Fritz, was born in Germany and studied painting in Weimar. He later moved to the Academy of Art Dresden where he met Adrian Ludwig Richter. Like many artists of his time, he visited I ...

, Giuseppe Balbo and

Pompeo Mariani Pompeo Mariani (9 September 1857, Monza – 25 January 1927, Bordighera) was an Italian painter. Biography Mariani was born in Monza, Province of Milan. The nephew of the painter Mosè Bianchi, he abandoned a career in banking to devote himsel ...

. This last one will be one of his closest friends and he'll introduce Mariani to Marcellina Caronni, who will then become his wife. Piana always devoted a special attention to the colors of Bordighera and of the neighboring countries, demonstrating the technique of

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to ...

and oil, in particular for vivid glimpses of the rich vegetation, landscapes and bright sun. He became the personal professor of the Queen Mother and met De Amicis of whom he made a portrait during his stay in Bordighera. Several exhibitions of his paintings were organised, including a particularly rich one in 1954 at the Palazzo del Parco in

and a very significant one for the type of works on display at the Gallery Bolzani Milan in 1968. Among his favourite students was the most beloved Fernando Pelosini (1901-1982) to whom he left all his painting material. Giuseppe Ferdinando Piana died in Bordighera in 1956 at the age of 92.

Bibliography

* R. Falchi - E. Pfeifer, ''Giuseppe Ferdinando Piana pittore'', Bergamo, Lucchetti, 1990

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Piana, Giuseppe Ferdinando 1864 births 1956 deaths 19th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 20th-century Italian painters 19th-century Italian male artists 20th-century Italian male artists