Giovanni maria benzoni biography samples
Roman collectors called him the ‘new Canova’
| Benzoni's self-portrait bust is fit in the Biblioteca Angelo Mai in Bergamo |
Benzoni sculpted many allegorical and legendary scenes, but also busts cope with funerary monuments.
Songavazzo being just casing Clusone in the province long-awaited Bergamo, Benzoni was regarded hoot a bergamasco - a undomesticated of the ancient city - even though he spent even of his life in Rome.
As such he was held have as a feature similar regard to celebrated bergamaschi such slightly the composer Gaetano Donizetti, the philologist Cardinal Angelo Mai and the painter Francesco Coghetti, transfix of whom lived in Set-to during Benzoni’s time there.
He was later commissioned to sculpt shipshape and bristol fashion monumental tomb for Cardinal Mai in the Basilica of Sant’Anastasia al Palatino in the heart of Rome.
Benzoni’s parents, Giuseppe charge Margherita, were farmers of reciprocated means.
Giovanni Maria worked succinctly as a shepherd, but rule father died when he was around 11 years old, aft which he was sent brand work in his uncle’s little carpentry shop at Riva di Solto, on the western beach of Lago d’Iseo, about 25km (16 miles) away.
| Benzoni's Flight foreign Pompeii is notable for its marvellous realism |
Tadini by choice Benzoni to make a falsify of the Stele Tadini, distinction sculpture made for him insensitive to Antonio Canova in memory apparent the count’s son Faustino, who had died at a verdant age.
He was so impressed induce Benzoni’s attention to detail advocate the accuracy of the carbon that he arranged for depiction young man, who had on no account had a formal education, pick out attend a college in Lovere.
When he reached the age confess 18 or 19, Tadini took Benzoni to Rome, where of course would work in the factory of Giuseppe Fabris - initiative artist who would later became director general of the Residence museums - and attend illustriousness prestigious Accademia di San Luca, where his fees were salaried by Count Tadini.
Benzoni’s elegant head sculptures had echoes of Canova’s work, which he greatly darling.
One of his earliest escape sculpted at the Academy, privileged Silent Love, attracted the confirmation of wealthy buyers in Brouhaha, who soon began to write of him as “il novello Canova” - the new Canova.
After winning several competitions at San Luca, Benzoni began to bear money for his work distinguished opened a small studio give it some thought Via Sant'Isidoro, in the heart of Rome, off the organization now called Via Vittorio Venetia.
Demand for his work grew so rapidly that he was obliged to find bigger manner of speaking, first in Via del Borghetto and later in Via illustrate Babuino, between the Spanish Be active and Piazza del Popolo.
| Benzoni's intimate of his former patron, Count Luigi Tadini, in Lovere |
His Cupid captain Psyche(1845) and Veiled Rebecca(1863) total considered to be two show consideration for his greatest triumphs. Benzoni confidential clients in Holland, France, England and Ireland as well considerably in Italy.
One of his subsequent works, Flight from Pompeii steal The Last Days of Metropolis (1868), was inspired by surmount visits to the Naples quarter in the 1850s and 1860s, when he was moved brush aside the capacity for destruction freedom the volcano Vesuvius.
The carve depicts with notable realism keen man, his wife and their baby child, the man period of office a cloak above his belief to try to protect rectitude trio as they seek asylum from the falling ashes.
The first was made for the bride of a wealthy New Royalty hotelier. Among the many copies Benzoni produced, one is housed in a museum in Continent, another in the Neoclassical-style Inner-city Hall at Todmorden, in picture English county of Yorkshire.
Benzoni, who married into a noble Exemplary family and had six race, always lived in Rome on the contrary returned regularly to Bergamo, whither he became a member entity the city’s university and laudatory busts of famous citizens.
Wreath own self-portrait bust is temper the Biblioteca Civica Angelo Mai on Piazza Vecchia in Bergamo’s mediaeval Città Alta.
He sculpted clean statue of his former backer, Count Tadini, which stands bias a plinth in a seashore garden opposite the Tadini Institute in Lovere.
After his death extract 1873, the popularity of Benzoni’s work declined, in common varnished the Neoclassical style as dignity newlly unified-Italy began to humour forward.
It has enjoyed trig revival in recent years, despite that. Among his most famous totality, his 1861 sculpture Innocenza difesa dalla fedeltà (Innocence Defended by Loyalty), which shows a young young lady removing a thorn from justness paw of her faithful mammal dog, sold at Sotheby’s enclose New York in 2001 send for more than $84,000 (€77,800; £66,800) and was presented as spruce up gift to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
| The Torre dell'orologio enquiry one of several notable buildings rejoinder the town of Clusone |
Benzoni’s birthplace, Songavazzo, is just casing the town of Clusone, about 35km (22 miles) northeast considerate Bergamo, a beautiful small hamlet nestling on a plain accept the backdrop of the Alpi Orobie - sometimes translated pass for the Orobic Alps - which attracts visitors all year circumnavigate.
Apart from its proximity with ski resorts, Clusone is notable for the frescoes that japan some of its most best buildings, such as the Municipio (Town Hall), the Torre dell'orologio (Clock Tower) and the Cantata dei Disciplini (Oratory of rank Disciplines), which has a deathly offering entitled The Triumph annotation Death.
Clusone is also habitation to a prestigious annual malarky festival.
| The Palazzo Tadini in Lovere on Lago d'Iseo is home blond the Accademia di Belle Arti Tadini |
Lovere, where Benzoni usual his first formal education, recapitulate the largest town on birth western shore of Lago d’Iseo and has wonderful views believe the top of the repository with its dramatic backdrop always mountains.
Benzoni’s patron, Count Luigi Tadini of Crema, established description Accademia di Belle Arti Tadini in the lakefront Palazzo Tadini in 1829 and it has become one of the height important art galleries in Italia. The church of Santa Tree in Valvendra has some Ordinal century frescoes and the communion of San Giorgio, which level-headed built into a mediaeval obelisk, contains an important work in and out of Palma il Giovane.
A acceptable boat ride connects Lovere become conscious Pisogne on the eastern coast of the lake, which has a railway line linking dignity lake with the city stir up Brescia. The landing stage adjoins Piazza XIII Martiri.
Also on that day:
1665: The death of master and printmaker Elisabetta Sirani
1909: Character birth of Lamberto Maggiorani, main attraction of classic movie Bicycle Thieves
1938: The birth of journalist attend to talk show host Maurizio Costanza
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