Gaetano Gigante (1770, Naples – 23 September 1840, Naples) was an Italian painter and engraver.[1]
Biography
editHe was the son of Francesco Gigante; a fisherman. His artistic training took place in the workshops of Giacinto Diano at the Royal Academy of Design.[2]
His first works were mostly ecclesiastical commissions for religious paintings throughout Campania. He was almost forty before he added genre painting to his repertoire. His first work in that style depicted a banquet held by the legionnaires of Joachim Murat, commissioned by the Palace of Caserta.[3] He eventually specialized in depicting local costumes and customs.
Most of his major religious works, however, also came during his later years. From 1818 to 1822, he was involved in creating a series of frescoes, with scenes from the story of Mary and Jesus, at the church of Santa Maria di Piedigrotta.[2] During that same period he also created an altarpiece at the church of Santa Maria di Caravaggio and an Assumption at the church of Santa Maria delle Vigna in Pietravairano.[4]
He presented three works at the Museo Borbonico in 1830, and two more in 1833, which were awarded a silver medal.[5]
In 1801, he married Anna Maria Fatali. He was the father of Giacinto Gigante, named after his teacher; one of the founders of the School of Posillipo. His seven other children included Achille Gigante (1824-1846), who was a lithographer.[6] Four died while they were still very young.
References
edit- ^ "Gaetano Gigante". BeWeB (in Italian). Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ a b Biography of Gigante by Carolina Brook, from the Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani @ Treccani
- ^ Raffaello Causa, "Gaetano Gigante", in La Scuola di Posillipo, Fabbri Editori, Milan 1967
- ^ Francis Napier, Notes on Modern Painting at Naples, John W. Parker & Sons (1855), Online @ Google Books
- ^ Silvia Cassani, All'ombra del Vesuvio. Napoli nella veduta europea dal Quattrocento all'Ottocento, Electa (1990) ISBN 978-88-435-3140-0, Online @ Google Books
- ^ Famiglia Gigante
Further reading
edit- Lucio Fino, "Gaetano Gigante", in La Scuola di Posillipo, Grimaldi & C. Editori, Naples 2002
- Giuseppe Luigi Marini, "Gaetano Gigante", in Il valore dei dipinti italiani dell'Ottocento e del primo novecento, edizione XIX (2001/2002), Umberto Allemandi & C., Turin 2002 ISBN 978-88-422-1125-9
- Paolo Ricci, "Gaetano Gigante", in Arte e artisti a Napoli, 1800-1943, Edizioni Banco di Napoli, Naples 1981 ISBN 978-88-7042-189-7
External links
edit
- Brief biography @ the Istituto Matteucci