Ernesto Rayper (1 November 1840,

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

- 5 August 1873, Stella) was an Italian painter and engraver. He was the founder of what came to be known as the (Gray School) of landscape painting and was associated with the

Macchiaioli The Macchiaioli () were a group of Italian painters active in Tuscany in the second half of the nineteenth century. They strayed from antiquated conventions taught by the Italian art academies, and did much of their painting outdoors in order to ...

Biography

In 1859, after receiving his basic education at a

Piarist The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools ( la, Ordo Clericorum Regularium pauperum Matris Dei Scholarum Piarum), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the ...

school and the Collegio dei Tolomei in

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...

, he enrolled in courses at the Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti and took lessons from

Tammar Luxoro Tammar Luxoro (February 11, 1825 – November 25, 1899) was an Italian painter, mainly painting landscapes on site. Biography He was born in Genoa. He enrolled in the Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti, Accademia Ligustica of Fine Arts in ...

.Brief biography
@ Instituto Documentazione Arte Ligure. Under his influence, he decided to specialize in landscapes. During 1860, he spent some time in Geneva at the workshops of Alexandre Calame. Rayper-Rural

Upon returning to Genoa, he strove to develop his own style, distinct from the current Romantic and

Academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

trends. He had his first exhibit at the Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts in 1862. The following year, he began promoting the concept of plein aire painting and the Scuola grigia, so-named for Rayper's avoidance of the color black, took shape. Over the next few years, he was joined by , a Portuguese immigrant who was also an archaeologist, Alberto Issel and Serafín Avendaño, a Galician painter living in Genoa. Later, he began working with a group of artists from Canavese, led by Carlo Pittara. In 1870 he was named a "Professor of Merit" at the Accademia Ligustica and won a gold medal at the "Esposizione Nazionale di Parma". The following year, he developed a cancerous tumor on his tongue. After travelling throughout Italy, seeking an effective treatment, he retired to a small town in Savona and died there, aged only thirty-three.''Arte in Italia: rivista mensile di belle arti.''
Editors: Carlo Felice Biscarra and Luigi Rocca. 1873. Obituary by T. Luxoro page 122. After his death, his work became somewhat neglected until 1926, when a major exhibition was held at the

Teatro Carlo Felice The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the side of Piazza De Ferrari. The hall is named for King Carlo Felice, and dates fro ...

. Further exhibitions were held in 1938 at the Palazzo Rosso and in 1974, at his alma mater, the Accademia Ligustica; sponsored by the City of Genoa.

References

External links

Arcadja Auctions: More works by Rayper.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rayper, Ernesto 1840 births 1873 deaths Painters from Genoa 19th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Italian landscape painters Deaths from oral cancer Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti alumni 19th-century Italian male artists

Biography

References

Further reading

External links