Giovanni Carnovali
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Carnovali known as Piccio, was an Italian painter.
under the guidance of the director Giuseppe Diotti
, who immediately recognised his young pupil’s natural talent. The artist soon began to break away from the strict Neoclassicism of his academic training and return to the figurative tradition of the 16th and 17th century, which he interpreted with great expressive freedom, especially in portrait painting. His debut at the exhibition of the Carrara Academy and his first major public commission for a work on a religious subject came in 1826. After the first short trips for study purposes, made on foot in the second half of the 1820s, he travelled as far as Rome in 1831 and stopped in Parma
on the way back. There are records of a second stay in Rome
in 1843 and a long trip to Naples
in 1845. He moved to Milan
in 1838 and took part in the Brera exhibitions just twice, in 1839 and 1840. These years saw a shift towards painting of a less descriptive character with soft, hazy outlines under the influence of Correggio and Andrea Appiani
as well as the French art seen in Paris
around 1840. This change in style culminated in the rejection of a work by the ecclesiastical commission of Anzano in 1863 due to its unprecedented freedom and daringly experimental handling of light.
Biography
It was in 1815, at the age of just 11, that Carnovali was admitted to the Carrara Academy in BergamoBergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
under the guidance of the director Giuseppe Diotti
Giuseppe Diotti
Giuseppe Diotti was an Italian painter. He was born in Casalmaggiore, and was instructed in the Academy at Parma, and later by Vincenzo Camuccini at Rome. He painted in fresco as well as in oil, distinguishing himself as a painter of historical subjects, and became a professor in the Accademia...
, who immediately recognised his young pupil’s natural talent. The artist soon began to break away from the strict Neoclassicism of his academic training and return to the figurative tradition of the 16th and 17th century, which he interpreted with great expressive freedom, especially in portrait painting. His debut at the exhibition of the Carrara Academy and his first major public commission for a work on a religious subject came in 1826. After the first short trips for study purposes, made on foot in the second half of the 1820s, he travelled as far as Rome in 1831 and stopped in Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
on the way back. There are records of a second stay in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1843 and a long trip to Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
in 1845. He moved to Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
in 1838 and took part in the Brera exhibitions just twice, in 1839 and 1840. These years saw a shift towards painting of a less descriptive character with soft, hazy outlines under the influence of Correggio and Andrea Appiani
Andrea Appiani
Andrea Appiani was an Italian neoclassical painter.-Biography:He was born in Milan. He had been intended to follow his father's career in medicine but instead entered the private academy of the painter Carlo Maria Giudici . He received instruction in drawing, copying mainly from sculpture and prints...
as well as the French art seen in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
around 1840. This change in style culminated in the rejection of a work by the ecclesiastical commission of Anzano in 1863 due to its unprecedented freedom and daringly experimental handling of light.