Emilio Boggio (21 May 18577 June 1920) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Venezuelan Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

pioneering impressionist painter. In 1864 he traveled to France and studied at the Lycée Michelet in Paris until 1870. In 1873, he returned to

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

and dedicated himself to the family business. In 1877, he returned to France to join the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

Grove Art Online
/ref> where he received lessons from

Jean-Paul Laurens Jean-Paul Laurens (; 28 March 1838 – 23 March 1921) was a French painter and sculptor, and one of the last major exponents of the French Academic style. Biography Laurens was born in Fourquevaux and was a pupil of Léon Cogniet and Alexand ...

. In 1888, obtained a Hors Concours (Honorable Mention) at the Salon of the

Société des Artistes Français The Société des Artistes Français (, meaning "Society of French Artists") is the association of French painters and sculptors established in 1881. Its annual exhibition is called the "Salon des artistes français" (not to be confused with the ...

(Salon of French Artists) and in 1889, was awarded a bronze medal at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. Between 1907 and 1909, he resided in Italy, where he made a series of seascapes. In 1919, he traveled to Caracas for a few months and exhibited at the

Central University of Venezuela The Central University of Venezuela (Spanish: ''Universidad Central de Venezuela''; UCV) is a public university of Venezuela located in Caracas. It is widely held to be the highest ranking institution in the country, and it also ranks 18th in L ...

. Boggio died in France the following year. Some of Boggio's original paintings which are "brilliantly colorful, bright, beautiful, with personal style imprint" are in the National Art Gallery of Caracas and in the Palacio Municipal de Caracas.

Early life

Boggio was born on 21 May 1857 in Caracas, Venezuela to parents who were in trading business and were prosperous. His father was an Italian trader while his mother was

of French and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

descent, direct descendant of the Spanish conqueror Gabriel de Ávila. At age 15, he was sent to France to finish his studies of commerce. After returning to Caracas, he became an assistant in a fabric trading business. He worked for four years but could not achieve anything as he was not inclined to pursue that profession as he was more of a painter. He then went back to France at the age of 20 due to health reasons as he had contacted

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

. He was therefore brought back to France to be treated and then pursue his studies on the subject of business economics and did 2 years educational training in commerce. His parents were still hoping that he would join the family business in trading. However, in 1877, when he attended the Exposition Universelle in Paris, he decided that he would pursue the art of painting as his vocation. He then enrolled in the Julian Academy, a school of painting where he was trained by

who was a well known French painter, illustrator, and teacher. His field of special interest was

Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...

, an art movement that had its origin in France in the nineteenth century. Seven years later, met Arturo Michelena, from Venezuela. In 1888, obtained a Hors Concours (Honorable Mention) at the Salón de Artistas Franceses (Salon of French Artists) and in 1889, was awarded a bronze medal at the Exposition Universelle in Paris.

Career

After his training he pursued his vocation as an artist in Impressionist paintings and became famous as a Venezuelan-French impressionist. He interacted with impressionist painters like Camille Pissarro. From 1900 he started working on these concepts. He actively worked in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

for two years between 1907 and 1909. Established in 1912, the Círculo de Bellas Artes de Caracas supported the work of Boggio and opposed the prevalent academic styles. In 1918 or 1919, Boggio, in his sixties, returned to Venezuela to hold an exhibition of his paintings in Caracas. His stay provided an excellent opportunity to the young artists of Caracas such as Reveron, Cabre, Brandt, Castillo and others to learn about impressionist paintings. He guided them and helped them to free themselves from the traditional academic painting and imbibe knowledge of the European Impressionist trends in painting. He not only encouraged them but also explained the techniques of his paintings and accompanied them during their field trips to paint. He stayed in Caracas for less than a year and during this time exhibited sixty of his paintings at the Escuela de Musica.

Death and legacy

He returned to France in 1920 and soon thereafter died on 6 July 1920 at

Auvers-sur-Oise Auvers-sur-Oise (, literally ''Auvers on Oise'') is a commune in the department of Val-d'Oise, on the northwestern outskirts of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is associated with several famous artists, the most promine ...

in France. His friends included

Camille Pissarro Jacob Abraham Camille Pissarro ( , ; 10 July 1830 – 13 November 1903) was a Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, St Thomas (now in the US Virgin Islands, but t ...

and of

Henri-Jean Guillaume Martin Henri-Jean Guillaume "Henri" Martin (; 5 August 1860 – 12 November 1943) was a French painter. Elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1917, he is known for his early 1920s work on the walls of the Salle de l'Assemblée générale, where th ...

. Boggio was influenced by

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2 ...

, and in turn, Boggio influenced

Armando Reverón Armando Reverón (May 10, 1889 – September 17, 1954) was a Venezuelan painter and sculptor, precursor of Arte Povera and considered one of the most important of the 20th century in Latin America. While his mental health deteriorated throughou ...

Partial works

He is credited with five publications in two languages. Some of Boggio's original paintings which are "brilliantly colorful, bright, beautiful, with personal style imprint" are in the National Art Gallery of Caracas and in the Palacio Municipal de Caracas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boggio, Emilio Venezuelan painters 1857 births 1920 deaths People from Caracas Venezuelan people of Italian descent Impressionist painters Académie Julian alumni