Andrea Appiani (31 May 17548 November 1817) was an Italian neoclassical painter.

Life

Born in Milan, it had been intended that he follow his father's career in medicine but instead entered the private academy of the painter

Carlo Maria Giudici Carlo Maria Giudici (1723 in Viggiù – 1804 in Milan) was an Italian painter. He was born in Viggiù and became a professor at the Brera Academy of Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lo ...

(1723–1804) where he received instruction in drawing, copying mainly from sculpture and prints. From there, he then joined the class of the fresco painter

Antonio de' Giorgi Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular mal ...

, which was held at the Ambrosiana picture gallery in Milan. At the same time, he also frequented the studio of

Martin Knoller Martin Knoller (18 November 1725 – 24 July 1804) was an Austrian- Italian painter active in Italy who is remembered for his fresco work. Biography Born in Steinach am Brenner near the Austrian city of Innsbruck, Knoller studied under Paul ...

, where his knowledge of painting in oils was deepened. Also, he studied anatomy at the Ospedale Maggiore in Milan with the sculptor

Gaetano Monti Gaetano Monti (c. 1750 – 1824) was an Italian sculptor, active in Milan. Little is known about his career; he was, for a time, active as a teacher of anatomy at the Ospedale Maggiore, where he numbered among his pupils Andrea Appiani and Gaeta ...

. Appiani's interest in aesthetic issues was stimulated by the classical poet

Giuseppe Parini Giuseppe Parini (23 May 1729 – 15 August 1799) was an Italian enlightenment satirist and poet of the neoclassic period. Biography Parini (originally spelled Parino) was born in Bosisio (later renamed Bosisio Parini in his honour) in Brianza, ...

, whom he drew in two fine pencil portraits. In 1776 he entered the

Brera Academy The Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera ("academy of fine arts of Brera"), also known as the or Brera Academy, is a state-run tertiary public academy of fine arts in Milan, Italy. It shares its history, and its main building, with the Pinacoteca d ...

of Fine Arts to follow the painting courses of Giulio Traballesi, receiving a mastery of the fresco technique. Among his masterpieces are the frescoes depicting the four evangelists and doctors of the church that he painted for the cupola and pendentives for the church of

Santa Maria presso San Celso Santa Maria dei Miracoli presso San Celso is a church and a sanctuary in Milan, Lombardy, northern Italy. History and overview The construction was begun by Gian Giacomo Dolcebuono and Giovanni Battagio in 1493, to house a miraculous icon of the ...

in 1795 and the fresco with ''The Parnassus'', representing Apollo and the Muses, on the ceiling of the dining room of

Royal Villa of Milan The Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte, also known as Villa Reale and formerly called Villa Comunale, is a palace in Milan, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It was built between 1790 and 1796 as the residence of Count Ludovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso. The v ...

. Another masterpiece are the frescoes depicting ''Allegories of Virtues'' and others honoring Napoleon in the rooms of the

Royal Palace of Milan The Royal Palace of Milan (Italian: ''Palazzo Reale di Milano'') was the seat of government in the Italian city of Milan for many centuries. Today, it serves as a cultural centre and it is home to international art exhibitions. It spans through ...

. Although created a pensioned artist to the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and ...

by Napoleon, Appiani lost his allowance after the fall of the Kingdom in 1814 and fell into poverty. During his period as

court painter A court painter was an artist who painted for the members of a royal or princely family, sometimes on a fixed salary and on an exclusive basis where the artist was not supposed to undertake other work. Painters were the most common, but the cour ...

he rendered portraits of Napoleon and the chief personages of his regime, among the most graceful of which are his oil paintings ''Venus and Love'', and ''Rinaldo in the garden of Armida''. He is known as "the elder", to distinguish him from his great-nephew Andrea Appiani, an historical painter in

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 ...

. Appiani painted a large canvas of the ''Encounter of Rachel and Jacob'' for a church in Alzano. The Brera has a fresco by Appiani representing Olympus. He died at Milan in 1817. Among his pupils are Antonio De Antoni, Carlo Prajer, Angelo Monticelli, and Giuseppe Bossi.*

Gallery

Andrea Appiani - Nicolas Frochot.jpg, Andrea Appiani - General Desaix - WGA00782.jpg, Andrea Appiani Ritratto di Ugo Foscolo Pinacoteca di Brera 1801-1802.jpg, Joséphine de Beauharnais by Andrea Appiani.png, Joséphine Reine d'Italie by Andrea Appiani.png, Andrea Appiani - The Olympus - WGA0784.jpg, Andrea Appiani - Hercules at the crossroads.jpg, Andrea Appiani (circle) Jupiter und Merkur bei Philemon und Baucis.jpg, File:Appiani, Andrea I - Head of Laocoon - Google Art Project.jpg, Head of

Laocoön Laocoön (; grc, , Laokóōn, , gen.: ), is a figure in Greek and Roman mythology and the Epic Cycle. Laocoon was a Trojan priest. He and his two young sons were attacked by giant serpents, sent by the gods. The story of Laocoön has been the s ...

, about 1790 Andrea Appiani 003.jpg, Eugène Beauharnais, portrait by Appiani, 1800. Santa Maria dei Miracoli 11.JPG, Villa reale, Milano - Andrea Appiani (1754–1817), il Parnaso, Apollo e le Muse (Carlo Dell'Orto) 19.JPG,

References

Notes: Sources: * * Domenico Sedini
Andrea Appiani
online catalogu
Artgate
by

Fondazione Cariplo Fondazione Cariplo is a charitable foundation in Milan, Italy. It was created in December 1991 when the Amato law, Law no. 218 of 30 July 1990, came into force. Under this law, saving banks were required to separate into a not-for-profit foun ...

, 2010, CC BY-SA.

External links

Appiani, Andrea
{{DEFAULTSORT:Appiani, Andrea 1754 births 1817 deaths 18th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 19th-century Italian painters Italian neoclassical painters Italian muralists Court painters Painters from Milan Brera Academy alumni 19th-century Italian male artists 18th-century Italian male artists