Gabriele Smargiassi (22 July 1798 in

Vasto Vasto ( Abruzzese: '; , ) is a ''comune'' on the Adriatic coast of the Province of Chieti, in southern Abruzzo, Italy. During the Middle Ages it was called ''Guastaymonis'', '' Vasto d'Aimone'' or ''Waste d'Aimone''. Fascist Italy called the city ...

– 12 May 1882 in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

) was an Italian landscape painter and professor at the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute ...

in Naples.Biography
by Carlo Siviero, from the ''

Enciclopedia Italiana 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 ...

'' @

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 ...

Biography

He was born to a wealthy family. Initially planning to be a priest like his uncle, he decided to pursue his interest in art and went to Naples, where he enrolled at the

and studied with Giuseppe Cammarano. He later spent a few years with the Dutch-born landscape painter,

Anton Sminck van Pitloo Antonie or Anton Sminck Pitloo (21 April or 8 May 1790 – 22 June 1837) was a Dutch painter. His surname was originally Pitlo, but he added the extra "o" because he was often mistaken for an Italian while resident in Italy. In Italian he is also ...

, one of the founders of the

School of Posillipo The School of Posillipo refers to a loose group of landscape painters, based in the waterfront Posillipo neighborhood of Naples, Italy. While some among them became academicians, it was not a formal school or association. In the 18th century, lands ...

. In 1824, with the support of

Hortense de Beauharnais Hortense Eugénie Cécile Bonaparte (; , ; 10 April 1783 – 5 October 1837) was Kingdom of Holland, Queen of Holland as the wife of King Louis Bonaparte. She was the stepdaughter of Emperor Napoléon I as the daughter of his first wife, Joséphi ...

, the Duchess of Saint-Leu, he went to Rome to complete his studies. When she moved to

Arenenberg Arenenberg is an estate with a small chateau, Schloss Arenenberg, in the municipality of Salenstein at the shore of Lake Constance in Thurgau, Switzerland that is famous as the final domicile of Hortense de Beauharnais. Today it houses the ''N ...

, he followed her, then went on to Paris, where he was introduced to the court of King

Louis-Philippe Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...

and served as a drawing tutor for his children.Biography of Smargiassi
by Luisa Martorelli, from ''Il Voto'' During the 1830s, he was a regular exhibitor at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

. He returned to Naples in 1837, to apply for the Chair of Landscape Painting at the Academy, which had been left vacant by Pitloo's death. He was selected for the position, by a narrow margin, over Salvatore Fergola, whose works were more popular. He would hold that chair until his death. In 1861. he was one of the original signatories to the statutes of the Society for the Promotion of the Fine Arts. That same year, he exhibited at the Italian National Exhibition of Agricultural and Industrial Products and Fine Arts, in Florence, and one of his paintings was purchased by King

Victor Emmanuel II Victor Emmanuel II (; full name: ''Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso di Savoia''; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was King of Sardinia (also informally known as Piedmont–Sardinia) from 23 March 1849 until 17 March ...

. He had an influence on many younger artists, including Nicola Palizzi, , and Cesare Uva. His notable students included Francesco Mancini, Domenico Ammirato, Alfonso Simonetti, and Raimondo Scoppa. His works may be seen in the Galleria d'Arte Moderna at the

Palazzo Pitti The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...

; 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 ...

, and the National Museum of San Martino, among many others.

References

External links

* Lino Spadaccini
''Gabriele Smargiassi tra Napoli Parigi e Londra''
@ ''Noi Vastesi'', a blog by Nicola D'Adamo {{DEFAULTSORT:Smargiassi, Gabriele 1798 births 1882 deaths People from Vasto Italian male painters 19th-century Italian painters Painters from Naples Academic staff of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli 19th-century Italian male artists Artists from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

Biography

References

Further reading

External links