Antonio Ferrigno (22 December 1863 in

Maiori Maiori (originally in Latin: ''Rheginna Maior'') is a town and ''comune'' on the Amalfi coast in the province of Salerno (Campania, Italy). It has been a popular tourist resort since Roman times, with the longest unbroken stretch of beach on the ...

– 12 December 1940 in

Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Campania, southwestern Italy, and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after Naples. It is located ...

) was an Italian painter; best known for his landscapes and genre scenes created during a stay in Brazil.

Biography

Initially self-taught, his first art lessons were taken in the studios of

Giacomo Di Chirico Giacomo Ernesto Eduardo Di Chirico (27 January 1844 – 26 December 1883) was an Italian painter. Together with Domenico Morelli and Filippo Palizzi, he was one of the most elite :it:Pittura napoletana, Neapolitan artists of the 19th century ...

. He later was granted a scholarship to attend the

Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli The Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli (Naples Academy of Fine Arts) is a university-level art school in Naples. In the past it has been known as the Reale Istituto di Belle Arti and the Reale Accademia di Belle Arti. Founded by King Charles VII ...

, where he studied with

Stanislao Lista Stanislao Lista (Salerno, December 8, 1824 – 1908) was an Italian sculptor active in Naples. Biography Stanislao Lista carved one of the four lions in marble in Piazza dei Martiri, Napoli. The lion, hit by a sword, is dedicated to the Carbonar ...

and Teofilo Patini, graduating in 1885.Biography and critical commentary
@ Enciclopédia Itaú Cultural. This was followed by private studies with

Domenico Morelli Domenico Morelli (4 August 182313 August 1901) was an Italians, Italian painter, who mainly produced historical and religious works. Morelli was immensely influential in the arts of the second half of the 19th century, both as director of the Ac ...

, during which he felt drawn to landscape painting. Mulata quitandeira by Antonio Ferrigno 1893

He began exhibiting in 1882, and soon attracted many notable customers, including the

Filangieri The Filangieri (or Filangeri or Filingeri) were an Italo-Norman noble family that first established as counts and lords in the province of Avellino (). Having established itself in much of Southern Italy in the second half of the 11th century, t ...

family, the

Banco di Napoli Banco di Napoli S.p.A., among the oldest banks in the world, was an Italian banking subsidiary of Intesa Sanpaolo group, as one of the 6 retail brands other than "Intesa Sanpaolo". It was acquired by the Italian banking group Sanpaolo IMI (the ...

and, in 1890, King

Umberto I Umberto I (; 14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his assassination in 1900. His reign saw Italy's expansion into the Horn of Africa, as well as the creation of the Triple Alliance among Italy, Germany an ...

, who purchased his painting "March Sun" for 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 ...

.Brief biography
@

Treccani Institute Giovanni Treccani for the publication of the Italian Encyclopedia (), also known as Treccani Institute or simply Treccani, is a cultural institution of national interest, active in the publishing field, founded by Giovanni Treccani ...

. In 1893, he moved to Brazil, where he joined his friend Rosalbino Santoro in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

. He remained there for twelve years and became known as the "painter of coffee", because he specialized in painting landscapes of the plantations, commissioned by wealthy

farmers A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mi ...

. A major exhibition of his work was held in Paris in 1900, in conjunction with campaigns to promote the drinking of coffee. In addition to the promotional aspects, his paintings have documentary value, as they portray the period immediately following the

Lei Áurea The (; ), officially Law No. 3,353 of 13 May 1888, is the law that abolished slavery in Brazil. It was signed by Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil (1846–1921), an opponent of slavery, who acted as regent to Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, ...

(abolition of slavery) in 1888. During this time, much of the manual labor on the plantations was performed by Italian immigrants (especially

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetians might refer to: * Masters of Venetian painting in 15th-16th centuries * ...

s). Some of his paintings involving them were commissioned by the Italian government. His works cover every stage in the coffee production process. From 1900 to 1904, he spent much of his time inland, with extended stays at plantations in Victória and

Santa Gertrudes Santa Gertrudes is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 27,381 (2020 est.) in an area of 98.3 km². The elevation is 595 m. History The municipality was created by state law in 1948. Media In telecommunication ...

. The latter was considered to be a "model settlement" as it was equipped with electricity and a telephone.Fazenda Santa Gertrudes
official website. A major showing of his coffee-related paintings was a great success at the

Louisiana Purchase Exposition The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federa ...

of 1904. He held his final exhibition in Brazil in 1905, and returned to Italy, where he settled in Salerno and became a drawing teacher at the technical school in 1913. Two years later, he auctioned off many of his works to benefit the victims of an earthquake in

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...

. His paintings continued to display the natural colors that his palette had acquired in Brazil. These are especially prominent in a series of paintings depicting the

Villa Rufolo Villa Rufolo is a ''villa'' within the historic center of Ravello, a town in the province of Salerno, southern Italy, which overlooks the front of the cathedral square. The initial layout dates from the 13th century, with extensive remodeling in ...

that he created in the 1920s. Together with

Gaetano Capone Gaetano Capone (1845–1924) was an Italians, Italian painter, mostly depicting landscapes and genre painting, genre subjects. Biography Gaetano was born to a family of painters in Maiori in the province of Salerno in Campania. His brother Luigi ...

Luigi Paolillo Luigi Paolillo (1864 - May 1934) was an Italian painter, mainly of genre works early in his career, and vedute of the seashore around Campania later in life. Biography He was born in Maiori, in the province of Salerno, in Campania. He studied pain ...

and Pietro Scoppetta, he was part of what became known as the "Scuola di Maiori" or, simply, the "Costaioli". He was a regular exhibitor at the

Salon des indépendants Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained, and an alternative name for a living room. The name i ...

in Paris. His last notable exhibition was for the "Sindacato provinciale fascista di belle arti", which took place in

Positano Positano ( ; in Neapolitan language, Neapolitan: () is a village and ''comune'' on the Amalfi Coast (Province of Salerno), in Campania, Italy, mainly in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast. History The first evidence of a settle ...

in 1937. A major retrospective of his work was held in 2005 at the

Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo The Pinacoteca de São Paulo (Portuguese for "pinacotheca (picture gallery) of the state of São Paulo") is a visual arts museum focused on Brazilian art from the 19th century to the present day, in dialogue with various cultures from around th ...

, on the centenary of his departure.

Selected paintings

File:Antonio Ferrigno - Monjolo, Fazenda Victória.jpg, Water Mill File:Antonio Ferrigno - Ensacamento do café, Fazenda Santa Gertrudes.jpg, Bagging the Coffee File:Antonio Ferrigno - Fazenda da Baronesa de Serra Negra.jpg, The

Fazenda A ''fazenda'' () is a plantation found throughout Brazil during the colonial period (16th - 18th centuries). They were concentrated primarily in the northeastern region, where sugar was produced in the ''engenhos'', expanding during the 19t ...

of the
Baron de Serra Negra

References

External links

Antonio Ferrigno
from ''Pintores Paisagistas. São Paulo 1890-1920'', by Ruth Sprung Tarasantchi. EdUSP 2002, Pgs.135-141
Arcadja Auctions: More works by Ferrigno
(mostly non-Brazilian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrigno, Antonio 1863 births 1940 deaths 19th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 20th-century Italian painters Italian landscape painters Italian emigrants to Brazil People from the Province of Salerno Painters from Campania Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli alumni Coffee production History of São Paulo (state) 19th-century Italian male artists 20th-century Italian male artists Maiori

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links