Francesco Hayez (; 10 February 1791 – 12 February 1882) was an Italian painter. He is considered one of the leading artists of

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

in mid-19th-century

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

, and is renowned for his grand

historical paintings History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

, political allegories, and portraits.

Biography

Francesco Hayez - Self-portrait with Tiger and Lion - Google Art Project

Francesco Hayez was from a relatively poor family from

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

. His father, Giovanni, was of French origin while his mother, Chiara Torcella, was from Murano. Francesco was the youngest of five sons. He was brought up by his mother's sister, who had married Giovanni Binasco, a well-off shipowner and art collector. Hayez displayed a predisposition for drawing since childhood. His uncle, having noticed his precocious talent, apprenticed him to an art restorer in Venice. Hayez would later become a pupil of the painter Francesco Maggiotto with whom he continued his studies for three years. He was admitted to the painting course of the New Academy of Fine Arts in Venice in 1806, where he studied under Teodoro Matteini. In 1809 he won a competition from the

Academy of Venice The is a public tertiary academy of art in Venice, Italy. History The Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia was founded on 24 September 1750; the statute dates from 1756. The first director was Giovanni Battista Piazzetta; Gianbattista Tiepolo ...

for a one year residency at the

Accademia di San Luca The Accademia di San Luca (the "Academy of Saint Luke") is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its f ...

in Rome. He remained in Rome until 1814, then moved to

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

where he was commissioned by

Joachim Murat Joachim Murat ( , also , ; it, Gioacchino Murati; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French military commander and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the m ...

to paint a major work depicting '' Ulysses at the court of Alcinous''. In the mid-1830s he attended the Maffei

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon ...

, hosted by

Clara Maffei Elena Clara Antonia Carrara Spinelli (13 March 1814, in Bergamo – 13 July 1886, in Milan) was an Italian woman of letters and backer of the Risorgimento, usually known by her married name of countess Clara Maffei or Chiarina Maffei. Life At 17 y ...

. Maffei's husband would later commission Hayez a portrait of his wife. In 1850 Hayez was appointed director of the Brera Academy. Over the course of a long career, Hayez proved to be particularly prolific. His output included historic paintings designed to appeal to the patriotic sensibility of his patrons as well as works reflecting the desire to accompany a Neoclassic style to grand themes, either from biblical or classical literature. He also painted scenes from theatrical presentations. Conspicuously absent from his oeuvre, however, are altarpieces - possibly due to the Napoleonic invasions that deconsecrated many churches and convents in Northern Italy. Art historian Corrado Ricci described Hayez as a ''classicist'' who then evolved into a style of ''emotional tumult''. El Beso (Pinacoteca de Brera, Milán, 1859)

El Beso (Pinacoteca de Brera, Milán, 1859)

His portraits have the intensity of Ingres and the Nazarene movement. Often sitting, Hayez's subjects are often dressed in austere, black and white clothing, with little to no accoutrements. While Hayez made portraits for the nobility, he also explored other subjects like fellow artists and musicians. Late in his career, he is known to have worked using photographs. One of Hayez's favorite themes was semi-clothed Odalisque evocative of oriental themes – a favorite topic of

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 ...

painters. The depictions of

harem Harem ( Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A har ...

s and their women allowed artists the ability to paint scenes otherwise not acceptable within society. Even Hayez's

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurr ...

has more sensuality than religious fervor. Hayez's painting '' The Kiss'' was considered among his best work by his contemporaries, and is possibly his most well-known effort. The anonymous, unaffected gesture of the couple does not require knowledge of myth or literature to interpret, and appeals to a modern gaze. A scientific assessment of Hayez's career has been made complicated by his proclivity for not signing or dating his works. Often dates in his paintings indicate when the work was acquired or sold, not the time of its creation. Moreover, he often painted the same compositions several times with minimal variations if any at all. Among his pupils from the Brera Academy were Carlo Belgioioso, Amanzio Cattaneo, Alessandro Focosi, Giovanni Battista Lamperti, Livo Pecora,

Angelo Pietrasanta Angelo Pietrasanta (1837–1876) was an Italian painter, mainly of historical canvases. Biography He was born in Codogno, and died in Milan. He was a pupil of Francesco Hayez at the Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. In 1879, he sent to the Exhibit ...

, Antonio Silo, Ismaele Teglio Milla and

Francesco Valaperta Francesco Valaperta (Milan, 1836 – 1908) was an Italian painter. Biography A pupil of Francesco Hayez at the Brera in Milan, Valaperta made his debut at the Academy’s annual exhibition in 1859 with a painting on a religious subject, followed ...

. Hayez died in Milan, age 91. His studio at the Brera Academy is marked with a plate.

Gallery

:''See also :Paintings by Francesco Hayez.'' File:Francesco Hayez 057.jpg, ''Self-Portrait'' File:Francesco Hayez 024.jpg, ''Reclining Odalisque'' (1839) File:Francesco Hayez - Portrait of Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli - Google Art Project.jpg, Portrait of

Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli (Milan 27 July 1822 – 6 April 1879) was an Italian count who gathered art from Italian Renaissance and left Italy one of the first private museum which bears his name, the Museo Poldi Pezzoli. Biography Son of Giu ...

File:Francesco Hayez 017.jpg, ''Destruction of Temple of Jerusalem'' (1867) File:Hayez, Fracesco - Crusaders Thirsting near Jerusalem - 1836-50.jpg, ''Crusaders Thirsting near Jerusalem'' (1836–1850) File:Francesco Hayez 013.jpg, ''Refugees of Parga'' (1831) File:Francesco Hayez - The Two Foscari - WGA11217.jpg, Scene from Byron's drama '' The Two Foscari'' ( Antonio Bernocchi family collection, today in the Museum of Fondazione Cariplo) File:Francesco Hayez 022.jpg, Sicilian Vespers scene 1 (1821–22) File:Francesco Hayez 023.jpg, Sicilian Vespers scene 3 (1821–22) File:Francesco Hayez 061.jpg, ''Meeting of Esau and Jacob'' File:Francesco Hayez 016.jpg, ''New Favorite in Harem'' File:Francesco Hayez 033.jpg, Portrait, ''Ballerina Carlotta Chabert as Venus'' (1830) File:Francesco Hayez - Ruth.jpg, '' Ruth'' (1835) File:Francesco Hayez 026.jpg, ''Odalisque'' (1867) File:Francesco Hayez 054.jpg, '' Susanna at her Bath'' (1859) File:Francesco Hayez 004.jpg, ''Nude Bather'' File:Francesco Hayez 027.jpg, ''Odalisque with Book'' (1866) File:Hayez, Fracesco - La Meditazione - 1851.jpg, ''The Meditation'' (1851) File:Hayez Ciociara.jpg, CiociaraA derogatory term used in Rome in the nineteenth century to ridicule the poor shepherds of the mountain regions; the term was then used by the painters of the time for their portraits. File:Francesco Hayez 056.jpg, ''Samson and the Lion'' (1842) File:Francesco Hayez 037.jpg, Portrait, Matilde Juva-Branca (1851) File:Francesco Hayez 038.jpg, Portrait, Princess di Sant' Antimo (1840–1844) File:Francesco Hayez - Portrait of Antonietta Tarsis Basilico.jpg, Portrait, Antonietta Tarsis Basilico (1851) File:Francesco Hayez 036.jpg, Portrait, Felicina Caglio Perego di Cremnago (1842) File:Francesco Hayez - Ritratto di Antonietta Vitali Sola.jpg, Portrait, Antonietta Vitali Sola (1823) File:Antonio Rosmini by Hayez.jpg, Portrait, Antonio Rosmini (1835) File:Francesco Hayez 041.jpg, Portrait,

Camillo Benso, Conte of Cavour Camillo Paolo Filippo Giulio Benso, Count of Cavour, Isolabella and Leri (, 10 August 1810 – 6 June 1861), generally known as Cavour ( , ), was an Italian politician, businessman, economist and noble, and a leading figure in the movement ...

(1864) File:Francesco Hayez 048.jpg, Portrait, Massimo d'Azeglio (1860) File:Francesco Hayez - Ritratto di Alessandro Manzoni.jpg, Portrait,

Alessandro Manzoni Alessandro Francesco Tommaso Antonio Manzoni (, , ; 7 March 1785 – 22 May 1873) was an Italian poet, novelist and philosopher. He is famous for the novel '' The Betrothed'' (orig. it, I promessi sposi) (1827), generally ranked among the maste ...

(1841) File:Francesco Hayez 043.jpg, Portrait, Conte Ninni (1823) File:Francesco Hayez 020.jpg, Levite Ephraim (1842–1844) File:Athlète triomphant de Francesco Hayez 1813.jpg, ''

The Victorious Athlete ''The Victorious Athlete'' or ''The Triumphant Athlete'' (Italian - ''Atleta trionfante'') is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Italian artist Francesco Hayez, from 1813. It is held in the Accademia di San Luca, in Rome. History and descriptio ...

'' (1813) File:Francisco Hayez - Vengeance is Sworn.jpg, '' Vengeance is Sworn'' (1851) File:Hayez, Francesco – Accusa segreta – 1847 1848.jpg, ''Secret Accusation'' (1847–1848) File:Francesco Hayez 059.jpg, ''Revenge of a Rival (The Venetian Woman)'' (1853)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayez, Francesco 1791 births 1882 deaths 18th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 19th-century Italian painters 19th-century Italian male artists 19th-century painters of historical subjects Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia alumni Brera Academy faculty Burials at the Cimitero Monumentale di Milano Italian romantic painters Italian portrait painters Italian people of French descent Orientalist painters Painters from Venice 18th-century Italian male artists