Gustavo Simoni (5 November 1845, in

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– 10 May 1926, in Palestrina) was an Italian painter,

watercolorist 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 t ...

and art teacher. He is best known for his Orientalist scenes.

Biography

His father, Antonio, was a barber who originally came from . He had a younger brother, who, with his encouragement, also became a painter. beginning in 1877, he travelled extensively, visiting France, Spain and, especially, North Africa, where he made several lengthy stays in

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and

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

. For many years, he lived in an isolated house near

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ar, تلمسان, translit=Tilimsān) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran, and capital of the Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the por ...

, where he was visited by his friends and associates from Rome and developed a relationship with the local authorities. In 1889, he won a gold medal at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

for his monumental depiction of the burning of Persepolis. King Umberto I was among his regular clients. He was also a member of the

Accademia di San Luca The Accademia di San Luca (the "Academy of Saint Luke") is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its fir ...

. In the 1890s, he opened a studio in Paris and started a school for Orientalist painting in Rome. When he returned there, he lived in farmhouse that had been renovated by his son-in-law, the architect . He had five children altogether, three of whom became painters: Paolo (1882-1960), also an Orientalist, who died during the

Algerian War The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

, Mario (1885-1953), who specialized in

still-life A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or man-made (drinking glasses, boo ...

s, and Ettore (1895-?), who emigrated to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and painted desert landscapes. In addition to his Orientalist scenes, he created

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

scenes, plus highly imaginative historical scenes from ancient Rome and the 17th century. the 18th century. He was one of the original members of the . His works, however, are generally more familiar among watercolorists in England than in Italy. Outside of Italy, his works may be seen in Glasgow, Leipzig, Melbourne and New York. Maria Martinetti and were, perhaps, his best known students.

Sources

* Gian Francesco Lomonaco. ''Acquerelli dell'Ottocento'', La Società degli Acquarellisti a Roma, 1987 * Renato Mammucari, ''Acquerellisti romani: suggestioni neoclassiche, esotismo orientale, decadentismo bizantino, realismo borghese'', Edimond, 2001

External links

More works by Simoni
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Simoni, Gustavo 1845 births 1926 deaths Italian painters Italian orientalists Italian genre painters Painters from Rome