Gustavo Simoni

GUSTAVO SIMONI (Rome, 1845 - Palestrina, 1926).
"African", 1879.
Watercolor on paper.
Signed and dated.
Measurements: 54 x 37 cm, 75.5 x 63 x 2 cm (frame).

As can be seen in this composition, Simoni's painting is characterized by the realistic cut, as well as by the realization of oriental themes very much in accordance with the taste of the bourgeoisie of his time. His style, precious and meticulous, of clear and brilliant tonalities, seeks to obtain luminous effects of great aesthetic charge. Likewise, he ennobles the portrayed, something especially outstanding in the representation of this bronze-skinned African character captured in profile, who adopts a withdrawn and reflective attitude.

Gustavo Simoni was an Italian painter, watercolorist and art teacher known for his orientalist scenes. From 1877 he made numerous trips, visiting France, Spain and, especially, North Africa, where he made several extended stays in Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. In 1889, he won a gold medal at the Salon for his monumental representation of the fire of Persepolis. Among his clients, King Umberto I was among his regular clients. He was also a member of the Accademia di San Luca. In the 1890s, he opened a studio in Paris and founded a school of Orientalist painting in Rome. In addition to his Orientalist scenes, he created genre scenes, highly imaginative historical scenes of ancient Rome in the 17th and 18th centuries. He was one of the original members of the Associazione degli Acquarellisti romani. Outside Italy, his works can be seen in Glasgow, Leipzig, Melbourne and New York. Maria Martinetti and Filiberto Sbardella were perhaps his best known pupils.