Alfonso Simonetti (29 December 1840 – 22 August 1892) was an Italian painter of historical scenes, portraits and landscapes; best known for his works with moonlight and sunset effects.

Life and work

Simonetti was born in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, Italy, to the painter Giuseppe Simonetti (fl. 1840–1864) and his wife Vincenza, née Piccirillo. In 1859, he enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied under

Gabriele Smargiassi Gabriele Smargiassi (22 July 1798 in Vasto – 12 May 1882 in Naples) was an Italian landscape painter and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples.

and

Giuseppe Mancinelli Giuseppe Mancinelli (17 March 1813 – 25 May 1875) was an Italian painter of religious and historical scenes. Biography Mancinelli was born in Naples, Italy. His father, Pietro, was in the service of the noble Ventignano family. With their su ...

. His debut came in 1862, at the Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts, with his depiction of the mercenary soldier,

Ettore Fieramosca Ettore Fieramosca (born Ferramosca) (1476 in Capua – 20 January 1515 in Valladolid) was an Italian condottiero and nobleman during the Italian Wars. His father was Rainaldo, baron of Rocca d'Evandro, and it is thought that his mother was a no ...

, at

Mount Gargano Gargano () is a historical and geographical sub-region in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southeast Italy, consisting of a wide isolated mountain massif made of highland and several peaks and forming the backbone of a promontory projecting into ...

. Two years later, he was awarded a scholarship to study in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

. In 1873, he was commissioned to paint a portrait of

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

. Shortly after, he returned to Naples and, in 1877, exhibited two major works: ''Without Hope, She is Dead'' and ''The Last Ray''. At the 1880 Exposition Artistica of

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, he exhibited ''Malaria'' and ''Serenade''. In honor of his former teacher, he painted a street scene of the ''Via Giuseppe Mancinelli'', which was later exhibited in Paris at the

Exposition Universelle (1889) The of 1889 (), better known in English as the 1889 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 6 May to 31 October 1889. It was the fifth of ten major expositions held in the city between 1855 and 1937. It attracted more t ...

. He was represented at the opening of the

Palazzo delle Esposizioni The Palazzo delle Esposizioni is a Neoclassicism, neoclassical exhibition hall, cultural center and museum on Via Nazionale (Rome), Via Nazionale in Rome, Italy. History Designed by Pio Piacentini, it opened in 1883. It has housed several exhi ...

in Rome by a large landscape called ''Sunset'' (1883). Two more landscapes were shown at the Fine Arts Exhibition in Venice (1887): ''My Lord Forest'' and ''Harvesting Olive Trees''. He also exhibited outside of Italy. At the Italian Exposition of London, he displayed ''Forest''; ''Countryside of Castrocielo'', and the historical canvas: ''Gutenberg, Faust and Coeffer print the first page of the Bible''. In

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Australia, he exhibited ''Costume of Castrocielo''. Three of his major canvases are displayed at the Pinacoteca of the

Museo di Capodimonte Museo di Capodimonte is an art museum located in the Palace of Capodimonte, a grand Bourbon palazzo in Naples, Italy designed by Giovanni Antonio Medrano. The museum is the prime repository of Neapolitan painting and decorative art, with se ...

: ''Winter Morning''; ''Street in Castrocielo'', and the portrait ''Tired''. His works may also be seen at the and the in Florence. He was appointed an honorary professor at the Accademia in 1872, and was named a Knight of the

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for ...

. ‘‘Dizionario degli Artisti Italiani Viventi: pittori, scultori, e Architetti.’’
by Angelo de Gubernatis. . Tipe dei Successori Le Monnier, 1889, page 480-481.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simonetti, Alfonso 1840 births 1892 deaths 19th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Painters from Naples Italian romantic painters 19th-century Italian male artists

Life and work

References

Further reading

External links