Juana Romani, née Carolina Carlesimo (30 April 1867 – 1923/24) was an Italian-born French portrait painter and artists' model.

Biography

She was born in

Velletri Velletri (; la, Velitrae; xvo, Velester) is an Italian ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, approximately 40 km to the southeast of the city centre, located in the Alban Hills, in the region of Lazio, central Italy. Neighbouring com ...

. At the age of ten, she went to Paris with her mother and stepfather, Temistocle Romani, an engineer who was seeking employment there. They settled in the

Latin Quarter The Latin Quarter of Paris (french: Quartier latin, ) is an area in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros ...

and she was put to work as a model at several art schools. It was not long, however, before

Filippo Colarossi Filippo Colarossi (21 April 1841 in Picinisco – August 1906) was an Italian artist's model and sculptor who founded the Académie Colarossi in Paris between 1879–1880. He is claimed to have died on 25 August 1906 in Paris. however, Duval sta ...

, founder of the Académie Colarossi, took a special interest in her; inviting her to work and study at his school. In 1882, she posed for "Diana the Huntress", a well-known sculpture by

Alexandre Falguière Jean Alexandre Joseph Falguière (also given as Jean-Joseph-Alexandre Falguière, or in short Alexandre Falguière) (7 September 183120 April 1900) was a French sculptor and painter. Biography Falguière was born in Toulouse. A pupil of the � ...

. She also posed for

Carolus-Duran Charles Auguste Émile Durand, known as Carolus-Duran (Lille 4 July 1837 – 17 February 1917 Paris), was a French painter and art instructor. He is noted for his stylish depictions of members of high society in Third Republic France. Biograph ...

Ferdinand Roybet Ferdinand Victor Léon Roybet (12 April 1840 – 11 April 1920) was a French painter and engraver, best known for his historical and costume genre scenes. Biography He was born in Uzès. His father was the owner of a café and a liqueur manuf ...

, who gave her lessons, and

Jean-Jacques Henner Jean-Jacques Henner (5 March 1829 – 23 July 1905) was a French painter, noted for his use of sfumato and chiaroscuro in painting nudes, religious subjects and portraits. Biography Henner was born at Bernwiller (Alsace). He began his studies ...

, with whom she had a brief affair. At the age of nineteen "Il Romani", as she was called, decided to pursue her own career in art. That same year, she changed her first name to "Juana", the Spanish equivalent of her middle name, "Giovanna".Gabriela Romani, ''Biografia della pittrice Juana Romani'', Narcissus, 2015 She began to exhibit her works in 1888 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 ...

and exhibited with them regularly until 1904. She was especially valued as a painter of female portraits, including many women from notable families, often depicting them as mythological or symbolic figures. One of her portraits was awarded a silver medal at the

Exposition Universelle (1889) The Exposition Universelle of 1889 () was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 5 May to 31 October 1889. It was the fourth of eight expositions held in the city between 1855 and 1937. It attracted more than thirty-two million visitors. The ...

. In 1901, she donated 5,000 lire to the art school in her home town. Four years later, it was officially renamed the "Scuola d'Arte Juana Romani". Her work was also well received by the critics. In 1896,

Louis Gonse Louis Gonse (16 November 1846, in Paris – 19 December 1921, in Paris) was an art historian, Editor-in-Chief of the '' Gazette des Beaux-Arts'' and Vice-President of the Commission for Historic Monuments. He was also one of the first European e ...

of ' declared that she was more skillful than her mentor, Roybet. She usually painted directly on the canvas, without preliminary sketching, and sold many works before they were finished. In her later years, she became mentally unsound and was confined to a psychiatric hospital in Paris. She died there, forgotten, around 1924. Her remaining works were auctioned off at the

Hôtel Drouot Hôtel Drouot is a large auction house in Paris, known for fine art, antiques, and antiquities. It consists of 16 halls hosting 70 independent auction firms, which operate under the umbrella grouping of Drouot. The firm's main location, called D ...

. Many of her paintings may be seen at the

Musée d'Orsay The Musée d'Orsay ( , , ) ( en, Orsay Museum) is a museum in Paris, France, on the Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art ...

Selected portraits

Image:19_Salome.JPG, ''Salomé'' Image:Juana_Romani_Bella_Donna.jpg, ''Bella Donna'' Image:Juana Romani - Portrait De Jeune Fille.jpg, ''Angelica'' Image:LaRossaJuanaRomani.jpg, ''La Rossa'' Image:Juana_Romani Giovanella.jpg, ''Tizianella'' Image:Romani La modella.jpg, ''La Modella'' Image:Leonora d'Este.jpeg, ''Leonora d'Este''

References

External links

"Le Tracce della Veliterna Juana Romani"
@ the Università del Carnevale
ArtNet: More works by Romani.Juana Romani
blog {{DEFAULTSORT:Romani, Juana 1869 births 1924 deaths 19th-century Italian painters 20th-century Italian painters Italian women painters Italian portrait painters Italian artists' models 20th-century Italian women artists 19th-century Italian women artists People from Velletri

Biography

Selected portraits

References

Further reading

External links