Orazio Gaigher, also known as Horatius (20 April 1870,

Levico Terme Levico Terme (''Levego'' in local dialect; cim, Leve) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about southeast of Trento. As of 30 June 2012, it had a population of 7,668 a ...

17 May 1938,

Merano Merano (, , ) or Meran () is a city and ''comune'' in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to above sea level, at the entrance to the Passeier V ...

), was an Austrian-Italian painter and illustrator.

Biography

He studied medicine in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

and, after being awarded his degree, became a general practitioner in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

. During those years, he taught himself how to paint, as a hobby. The painter,

Hubert von Herkomer Sir Hubert von Herkomer (born as Hubert Herkomer; 26 May 1849 – 31 March 1914) was a Bavarian-born British painter, pioneering film-director, and composer. Though a very successful portrait artist, especially of men, he is mainly remembered fo ...

, was one of his patients and, in 1901, suggested that he give up being a doctor and come with him to London, where he could put his talents to good use. He also travelled with Herkomer to Spain, and was especially impressed by the works of

Diego Velázquez Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptized June 6, 1599August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He was an individualistic artist of th ...

. In Paris, he studied with

Jules-Joseph Lefebvre Jules Joseph Lefebvre (; 14 March 183624 February 1911) was a French figure painter, educator and theorist. Early life Lefebvre was born in Tournan-en-Brie, Seine-et-Marne, on 14 March 1836. He entered the École nationale supérieure des Bea ...

Tony Robert-Fleury Tony Robert-Fleury (1 September 18378 December 1911) was a French painter, known primarily for historical scenes. He was also a prominent art teacher, with many famous artists among his students. Biography He was born just outside Paris, and st ...

and

Eugène Carrière Eugène Anatole Carrière (16 January 1849 – 27 March 1906) was a French Symbolist artist of the fin-de-siècle period. Carrière's paintings are best known for their near-monochrome brown palette and their ethereal, dreamlike quality. He ...

. In 1907, he moved to Rome. Later, he divided his time between

Madonna di Campiglio Madonna di Campiglio (german: Sankt Maria im Pein) is a village and a ski resort in northeast Italy. It is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Pinzolo. The village lies in the Val Rendena at an elevation of above sea level, and has approximatel ...

, in the summer, and Merano, in the winter. In 1915, his portraits of Popes

Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

and

Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...

won a gold medal at the

Panama–Pacific International Exposition The Panama–Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California, United States, from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Its stated purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely se ...

in San Francisco. From 1928 to 1930, he undertook a painting expedition to

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...

. In addition to portraits,

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 and landscapes, he created some altarpieces, etched

bookplate An ''Ex Libris'' (from ''ex-librīs'', ), also known as a bookplate (or book-plate, as it was commonly styled until the early 20th century), is a printed or decorative label pasted into a book, often on the front endpaper, to indicate ownership. ...

s and did decorative work at the

Kurhaus Kurhaus (German for "spa house" or "health resort") may refer to: * Kurhaus of Baden-Baden in Germany * Kurhaus, Wiesbaden in Germany * Kurhaus, Meran in South Tyrol, Italy * Kurhaus of Scheveningen in the Netherlands * Kurhaus Bergün, a grand ho ...

in Merano. Sixteen of his drawings were used to illustrate a medical text, ''Die Bruchoperation nach Bassini'' (The Fracture Operation According to Bassini) by Attilio Catterina, published by Urban & Schwarzenberg in Berlin (1933).

Sources

* * Heinrich Hammer: "Gaigher, Horazio". In: Ulrich Thieme (Ed.): ''Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart''. Vol.13: Gaab–Gibus. E. A. Seemann, Leipzig 1920, pg.7
Online
* Fiorenzo Degasperi (Ed.): ''Orazio Gaigher: 1870–1938.'' Exhibition catalog. Trient: Il Castello, 1996

External links

More works by Gaigher
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaigher, Orazio 1870 births 1938 deaths Austrian painters Italian painters Italian illustrators Italian portrait painters People from Trentino Italian landscape painters