Vittorio Matteo Corcos Autoritratto 1913

Vittorio Matteo Corcos (4 October 1859 – 8 November 1933) was an Italian painter, known for his portraits. Many of his

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 ...

works depict winsome and finely dressed young men and women, in moments of repose and recreation.

Biography

He was born to Jewish parents, Isacco and Giuditta Baquis, in

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

. He trained at the

Academy of Fine Arts of Florence The Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze ("academy of fine arts of Florence") is an instructional art academy in Florence, in Tuscany, in central Italy. It was founded by Cosimo I de' Medici in 1563, under the influence of Giorgio Vasari. M ...

under

Enrico Pollastrini Enrico Pollastrini (15 June 1817, Livorno – 19 January 1876, Florence) was an Italian history painter and art school director. Life and work He began his training as an assistant in the workshop of a local artist named Vincenzo De Bonis. In 1 ...

. Between 1878 and 1879 he worked under

Domenico Morelli Domenico Morelli (4 August 182313 August 1901) was an Italian painter, who mainly produced historical and religious works. Morelli was immensely influential in the arts of the second half of the 19th century, both as director of the Accademia di ...

in Naples. He then traveled to Paris where he met

Léon Bonnat Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat (20 June 1833 – 8 September 1922) was a French painter, Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur and professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Early life Bonnat was born in Bayonne, but from 1846 to 1853 he lived in M ...

, and signed a contract with the

Goupil & Cie Goupil & Cie is an international auction house and merchant of contemporary art and collectibles. Jean-Baptiste Adophe Goupil founded Goupil & Cie in 1850. Goupil & Cie became a leading art dealership in 19th-century France, with its headquart ...

, he was able to supplement his income as a portrait painter with illustrations for magazines. He frequented the circles of

Giuseppe De Nittis Giuseppe De Nittis (February 25, 1846 – August 21, 1884)Efrem Gisella Calingaert. "De Nittis, Giuseppe." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 9 Aug. 2013. was one of the most important Italian painters of the 19th c ...

. Between 1881 and 1886, he frequently exhibited at the Salon. He returned to Italy in 1886, putatively to join the army, and settled in Florence. He converted to Catholicism and married a widow, Emma Ciabatti. In Florence, he made friends in the intellectual circles, and made portraits of

Silvestro Lega Silvestro Lega (8 December 1826 – 21 September 1895) was an Italian Realism (art), realist painter. He was one of the leading artists of the Macchiaioli and was also involved with the Mazzini movement. Biography He was born in Modigliana, nea ...

, Giosue Carducci, and

Pietro Mascagni Pietro Mascagni (7 December 1863 – 2 August 1945) was an Italian composer primarily known for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece ''Cavalleria rusticana'' caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the ' ...

. After 1900, he wrote for the Florentine Journal ''

Il Marzocco ''Il Marzocco'' was an Italian language weekly literary and art magazine which was published in Florence, Italy, between 1896 and 1932. The title was chosen by Gabriele D'Annunzio which was a reference to the symbol of the ancient Republic of Fl ...

''. He also published a short story in the magazine ''Fanfulla della Domenica'' titled ''Mademoiselle Leprince''. In 1904, he traveled to Potsdam to paint

Emperor William II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empi ...

and other members of the German monarchy. During World War I, his son died in battle in 1916. In the 1920s he joined the ' along with

Plinio Nomellini Plinio Nomellini (1866–1943) was an Italian painter. Biography Nomellini was born in Livorno in 1866. In 1885 he enrolled at the Florence Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied under Giovanni Fattori and formed friendships with Telemaco Sign ...

and

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. He also painted portraits of

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(1928), Countess Annina Morosini, Countess Nerina Volpi di Misurata,

Giosuè Carducci Giosuè Alessandro Giuseppe Carducci (; 27 July 1835 – 16 February 1907) was an Italian poet, writer, literary critic and teacher. He was very noticeably influential, and was regarded as the official national poet of modern Italy. In 1906, h ...

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, and Queen Amélie of Portugal, Princess of Orleans; In 1913, his self-portrait was accepted by the

Uffizi The Uffizi Gallery (; it, Galleria degli Uffizi, italic=no, ) is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums ...

museum.Biography from 2014 exhibition
He died in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

in 1933.

Selected paintings

File:Vittorio Matteo Corcos - Dreams - 1896.jpg, Dreams, 1896 File:Vittorio Matteo Corcos - Conversation in the Jardin du Luxembourg.jpg, Conversation in the

Jardin du Luxembourg The Jardin du Luxembourg (), known in English as the Luxembourg Garden, colloquially referred to as the Jardin du Sénat (Senate Garden), is located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France. Creation of the garden began in 1612 when Marie de' ...

File:Corcos Vittorio In The Garden.jpg, In The Garden File:Corcos Stella e Piero 1889.jpg, Stella and Piero, 1889 File:Vittorio Matteo Corcos Junge Dame mit Hündchen c1895.jpg, Young Woman
with a little dog File:Portrait of a Young Woman.jpg, Portrait of a
Young Woman File:Corcos-Pomeriggio-in-terrazza.jpg, Afternoon on the Terrace File:Rainha D. Amélia - Museu Nacional dos Coches.tif, Portrait of

Amélie of Orléans Dona Maria Amélia (french: Marie Amélie Louise Hélène; 28 September 1865 – 25 October 1951) was the last Queen consort of Portugal as the wife of Carlos I of Portugal. She was regent of Portugal during the absence of her spouse in 1895. E ...

, Queen of Portugal, 1905

Collections

* ''Sogni'', 1896,

Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna The ("national gallery of modern and contemporary art"), also known as La Galleria Nazionale, is an art gallery in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1883 on the initiative of the then Minister Guido Baccelli and is dedicated to modern and contempora ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

* ''Portrait d'Amélie d'Orléans'', 1905,

National Coach Museum The National Coach Museum ( pt, Museu Nacional dos Coches) is located on the Afonso de Albuquerque Square in the Belém, Lisbon, Belém district of Lisbon in Portugal. The museum has one of the finest collections of historical carriages in the w ...

* '' Self portrait'' :

Bibliography

* Carlo Sisi : ''Vittorio Corcos : il fantasma e il fiore'' : ostra, Livorno, Museo Civico "G. Fattori", 26 giugno - 7 settembre 1997, Firenze, Galleria d'arte moderna, Palazzo Pitti, 16 settembre-12 ottobre 1997, Firenze : EDIFIR, 1997, () * Ilaria Taddei, Fernando Mazzocca, Carlo Sisi: ''Corcos: i sogni della Belle Époque'', Marsilio, 2014 ().Ggbooks
/ref>

References

External links

* (it
Corcos , Fondation Bano Palazzo Zabarella
* (it
BWA, ''Vittorio Corcos: sogno di una Belle Époque''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Corcos, Vittorio Matteo 1859 births 1933 deaths 19th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 20th-century Italian painters 20th-century Italian male artists Painters from Florence Italian genre painters Jewish painters Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze alumni Livornese Jews 19th-century Italian male artists