Emilio Boggio (21 May 18577 June 1920) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Venezuelan Venezuelans (Spanish language, Spanish: ''venezolanos'') are the Citizenship, citizens identified with the country of Venezuela. This connection may be through citizenship, descent or cultural. For most Venezuelans, many or all of these connect ...

pioneering impressionist painter. In 1864 he traveled to France and studied at the Lycée Michelet in Paris until 1870. In 1873, he returned to

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

and dedicated himself to the family business. In 1877, he returned to France to join the

Académie Julian The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...

Grove Art Online
/ref> where he received lessons from

Jean-Paul Laurens Jean-Paul Laurens (; 28 March 1838 – 23 March 1921) was a romanticism French painter and sculptor, and he is one of the last major exponents of the French Academic style. Biography Laurens was born in Fourquevaux and was a pupil of Léon ...

. In 1888, obtained a Hors Concours (Honorable Mention) 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 ...

(Salon of French Artists) and in 1889, was awarded a bronze medal at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. Between 1907 and 1909, he resided in Italy, where he made a series of seascapes. In 1919, he traveled to Caracas for a few months and exhibited at the

Central University of Venezuela Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

. Boggio died in France the following year. Some of Boggio's original paintings which are "brilliantly colorful, bright, beautiful, with personal style imprint" are in the National Art Gallery of Caracas and in the

Palacio Municipal de Caracas The Palacio Municipal de Caracas, or Consejo Municipal de Caracas, is the city hall of Caracas, Venezuela. It is located on the corner of Gradillas a Monjas opposite the Plaza Bolívar, occupying half of the plaza's southern section. The building ...

Early life

Boggio was born on 21 May 1857 in Caracas, Venezuela to parents who were in trading business and were prosperous. His father was an Italian trader while his mother was

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and

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descent, direct descendant of the Spanish conqueror Gabriel de Ávila. At age 15, he was sent to France to finish his studies of commerce. After returning to Caracas, he became an assistant in a fabric trading business. He worked for four years but could not achieve anything as he was not inclined to pursue that profession as he was more of a painter. He then went back to France at the age of 20 for health reasons as he had contacted

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...

. He was therefore brought back to France to be treated and then pursue his studies on the subject of business economics and did 2 years educational training in commerce. His parents were still hoping that he would join the family business in trading. However, in 1878, when he attended the Exposition Universelle in Paris, he decided that he would pursue the art of painting as his vocation. He then enrolled in the Julian Academy, a school of painting where he was trained by

who was a well known French painter, illustrator, and teacher. His field of special interest was

Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

, an art movement that had its origin in France in the nineteenth century. Seven years later, met Arturo Michelena, from Venezuela. In 1888, obtained a Hors Concours (Honorable Mention) at the Salón de Artistas Franceses (Salon of French Artists) and in 1889, was awarded a bronze medal at the Exposition Universelle in Paris.

Career

After his training he pursued his vocation as an artist in Impressionist paintings and became famous as a Venezuelan-French impressionist. He interacted with impressionist painters like Camille Pissarro. From 1900 he started working on these concepts. He actively worked in

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for two years between 1907 and 1909. Established in 1912, the Círculo de Bellas Artes de Caracas supported the work of Boggio and opposed the prevalent academic styles. In 1918 or 1919, Boggio, in his sixties, returned to Venezuela to hold an exhibition of his paintings in Caracas. His stay provided an excellent opportunity to the young artists of Caracas such as Reveron, Cabre, Brandt, Castillo and others to learn about impressionist paintings. He guided them and helped them to free themselves from the traditional academic painting and imbibe knowledge of the European Impressionist trends in painting. He not only encouraged them but also explained the techniques of his paintings and accompanied them during their field trips to paint. He stayed in Caracas for less than a year and during this time exhibited sixty of his paintings at the Escuela de Musica.

Death and legacy

He returned to France in 1920 and soon thereafter died on 6 July 1920 at

Auvers-sur-Oise Auvers-sur-Oise (, "Auvers-on-Oise (river), Oise") is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Val-d'Oise, on the northwestern outskirts of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. I ...

in France. His friends included

Camille Pissarro Jacob Abraham Camille Pissarro ( ; ; 10 July 1830 – 13 November 1903) was a Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas (now in the US Virgin Islands, but then in the Danish West Indies). ...

and of

Henri-Jean Guillaume Martin Henri-Jean Guillaume "Henri" Martin (; 5 August 1860 – 12 November 1943) was a French Painting, painter. Elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1917, he has been described as a prolific master whose work has touches of melancholy, dreamines ...

. Boggio was influenced by

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...

, and in turn, Boggio influenced

Armando Reverón Armando Reverón (May 10, 1889 – September 17, 1954) was a Venezuelan painter and sculptor, precursor of Arte Povera and considered one of the most important of the 20th century in Latin America. While his mental health deteriorated throughout ...

Partial works

He is credited with five publications in two languages. Some of Boggio's original paintings which are "brilliantly colorful, bright, beautiful, with personal style imprint" are in the National Art Gallery of Caracas and in the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boggio, Emilio Venezuelan painters 1857 births 1920 deaths Artists from Caracas Venezuelan people of Italian descent Impressionist painters Académie Julian alumni Venezuelan expatriates in France