Ernesto Rayper (1 November 1840,

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of t ...

- 5 August 1873,

Stella Stella or STELLA may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Comedy *Stella (comedy group), a comedy troupe consisting of Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black and David Wain Characters * Stella (given name), including a list of characters with t ...

) was an Italian painter and engraver. He was the founder of what came to be known as the (Gray School) of landscape painting and was associated with the

Macchiaioli The Macchiaioli () were a group of Italian painters active in Tuscany in the second half of the nineteenth century. They strayed from antiquated conventions taught by the Italian art academies, and did much of their painting outdoors in order to ...

Biography

In 1859, after receiving his basic education at a

Piarist The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools ( la, Ordo Clericorum Regularium pauperum Matris Dei Scholarum Piarum), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the ...

school and the Collegio dei Tolomei in

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...

, he enrolled in courses at the

Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti The Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti is a tertiary academy of fine arts located in Genoa, Italy. It also houses a museum (Museo dell'Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti), which includes works of Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Giuseppe Abbati, ...

and took lessons from

Tammar Luxoro Tammar Luxoro (February 11, 1825 – November 25, 1899) was an Italian painter, mainly painting landscapes on site. Biography He was born in Genoa. He enrolled in the Accademia Ligustica of Fine Arts in 1842, and studied under the veduti ...

.Brief biography
@ Instituto Documentazione Arte Ligure. Under his influence, he decided to specialize in landscapes. During 1860, he spent some time in Geneva at the workshops of

Alexandre Calame Alexandre Calame (28 May 1810 – 19 March 1864) was a Swiss landscape painter, associated with the Düsseldorf School. Biography He was born in Arabie at the time belonging to Corsier-sur-Vevey, today a part of Vevey. He was the son of a skillf ...

Upon returning to Genoa, he strove to develop his own style, distinct from the current

Romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

and

Academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...

trends. He had his first exhibit at the Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts in 1862. The following year, he began promoting the concept of

plein aire ''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or ''plein air'' painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting ...

painting and the Scuola grigia, so-named for Rayper's avoidance of the color black, took shape. Over the next few years, he was joined by , a Portuguese immigrant who was also an archaeologist,

Alberto Issel Alberto Issel (1848–1926) was an Italian painter. Biography He was a resident of Genoa and a pupil of the Accademia Ligustica. He won awards while a student for engravings in 1869 and 1870. He then studied in Florence under Carlo Markò the Y ...

and Serafín Avendaño, a Galician painter living in Genoa. Later, he began working with a group of artists from

Canavese Canavese (French: ''Canavais''; Piedmontese: ''Canavèis'') is a subalpine geographical and historical area of North-West Italy which lies today within the Metropolitan City of Turin in Piedmont. Its main town is Ivrea and it is famous for its ca ...

, led by Carlo Pittara. In 1870 he was named a "Professor of Merit" at the Accademia Ligustica and won a gold medal at the "Esposizione Nazionale di Parma". The following year, he developed a cancerous tumor on his tongue. After travelling throughout Italy, seeking an effective treatment, he retired to a small town in

Savona Savona (; lij, Sann-a ) is a seaport and ''comune'' in the west part of the northern Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea. Savona used to be one of the chief seats ...

and died there, aged only thirty-three.''Arte in Italia: rivista mensile di belle arti.''
Editors: Carlo Felice Biscarra and Luigi Rocca. 1873. Obituary by T. Luxoro page 122. After his death, his work became somewhat neglected until 1926, when a major exhibition was held at the

Teatro Carlo Felice The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the side of Piazza De Ferrari. The hall is named for King Carlo Felice, and dates fro ...

. Further exhibitions were held in 1938 at the Palazzo Rosso and in 1974, at his alma mater, the Accademia Ligustica; sponsored by the City of Genoa.

References

External links

Arcadja Auctions: More works by Rayper.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rayper, Ernesto 1840 births 1873 deaths Painters from Genoa 19th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Italian landscape painters Deaths from oral cancer Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti alumni 19th-century Italian male artists

Biography

References

Further reading

External links