Guglielmo Janni
Encyclopedia
Guglielmo Janni was an Italian
painter
belonging to the modern movement of the Scuola romana
(Roman School).
Giuseppe Gioachino Belli - Guglielmo Janni will be much influenced by his inherited literary background. He graduated at law
in 1914 and, just after World War I
, he attended an Art Nouveau
decorative course at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome
, while studying philosophy
and literature
on his own.
In 1921 he exhibited at the 1st Biennale
of Rome
and around 1924 he was called to decorate the Headquarters of the Banca d'Italia
, where he painted a mural
on the history of Italian
coinage
. Between 1926 and 1927 he collaborated successively with the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Justice, with the Istituto Nazionale delle Assicurazioni
and with Montecatini Terme
. During this period (1923–1928), his main themes involved religious motifs and he exhibited his work at the II Biennale
of Rome
; at the Franciscan Art Contest of Milan
; at the Art Show of the National Artists Association of Florence
. Janni also became a lifelong friend of painter Alberto Ziveri
.
In 1928 Janni painted a fresco
in the votive chapel of St. Bartholomew ("Monument to the Fallen") at Busseto
(Parma
), with influences from Piero della Francesca
. He was congratulated by art critic Roberto Longhi, who praised Janni's literary style of painting - an appropriate evaluation, as the artist's figurative work had acquired a "vocation to myth" that will be reflected in all his subsequent work: he will convey it through a tormented and sensual contemplation of the virile form, often concealed by an ambiguous and mundane veil: his "Endymion
" of 1931 confirms this fully.
Giuseppe Ungaretti
presented in a relevant catalogue, Janni's first personal exhibition
at the Galleria della Cometa, in Rome
in 1936, where many important paintings were displayed, among which: Figura d'aprile, Giovani atleti, Lo specchio, Figura di Balletto. Highly acclaimed by public and art critics, he organised again at the same Gallery a second personal exhibition and, in 1936, he attended the Biennale di Venezia and displayed three paintings at the Modern Italian Art Expo of Budapest
.
After a visit to the Universal Exposition of Paris
with Alberto Ziveri
in 1937, Janni suffered an existential crisis and abandoned painting
completely. He then decided to dedicate the rest of his life to studying, editing and cataloguing his grandfather Belli's unpublished writings, stored in the family library. Janni will die while doing this labouring work, which included a monumental biographical opus on Belli's life and poetry, in ten volumes.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
belonging to the modern movement of the Scuola romana
Scuola Romana
Scuola romana or Scuola di via Cavour was a 20th century art movement defined by a group of painters within Expressionism and active in Rome between 1928 and 1945, and with a second phase in the mid-1950s.-Birth of the Movement:...
(Roman School).
Biography
Son of a renowned Roman family - his father Giuseppe was a lawyer and his mother Teresa Belli was the niece of famous Italian poetItalian poetry
-Important Italian poets:* Giacomo da Lentini a 13th Century poet who is believed to have invented the sonnet.* Guido Cavalcanti Tuscan poet, and a key figure in the Dolce Stil Novo movement....
Giuseppe Gioachino Belli - Guglielmo Janni will be much influenced by his inherited literary background. He graduated at law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
in 1914 and, just after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he attended an Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
decorative course at the Academy of Fine Arts 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...
, while studying philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
on his own.
In 1921 he exhibited at the 1st Biennale
Biennale
Biennale is Italian for "every other year" and can be used to describe any event that happens every two years. It is most commonly used within the art world to describe an international manifestation of contemporary art, stemming for the use of the phrase for the Venice Biennale, which was first...
of 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...
and around 1924 he was called to decorate the Headquarters of the Banca d'Italia
Banca d'Italia
Banca d'Italia is the central bank of Italy and part of the European System of Central Banks. It is located in Palazzo Koch, Roma, via Nazionale...
, where he painted a mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
on the history of Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
coinage
Coinage
Coinage may refer to:* coins, standardized as currency* neologism, coinage of a new word* COINage, numismatics magazine* Tin coinage, a tax on refined tin* ancestry* Coinage, a board game...
. Between 1926 and 1927 he collaborated successively with the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Justice, with the Istituto Nazionale delle Assicurazioni
Assicurazioni Generali
Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. is the largest insurance company in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. It has its headquarters in Trieste...
and with Montecatini Terme
Montecatini Terme
Montecatini Terme is an Italian district of 21,095 inhabitants within the province of Pistoia in Tuscany. The most important center in Valdinievole...
. During this period (1923–1928), his main themes involved religious motifs and he exhibited his work at the II Biennale
Biennale
Biennale is Italian for "every other year" and can be used to describe any event that happens every two years. It is most commonly used within the art world to describe an international manifestation of contemporary art, stemming for the use of the phrase for the Venice Biennale, which was first...
of 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...
; at the Franciscan Art Contest of 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 ,...
; at the Art Show of the National Artists Association of Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
. Janni also became a lifelong friend of painter Alberto Ziveri
Alberto Ziveri
Alberto Ziveri , was an Italian painter belonging to the modern movement of the Scuola romana , author of urban landscapes and realist narrative scenes...
.
In 1928 Janni painted a fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
in the votive chapel of St. Bartholomew ("Monument to the Fallen") at Busseto
Busseto
Busseto is a comune in the province of Parma, in Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy. It was the capital of Stato Pallavicino. Opera composer Giuseppe Verdi was born in the nearby village of Le Roncole and he moved there in 1824...
(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....
), with influences from Piero della Francesca
Piero della Francesca
Piero della Francesca was a painter of the Early Renaissance. As testified by Giorgio Vasari in his Lives of the Artists, to contemporaries he was also known as a mathematician and geometer. Nowadays Piero della Francesca is chiefly appreciated for his art. His painting was characterized by its...
. He was congratulated by art critic Roberto Longhi, who praised Janni's literary style of painting - an appropriate evaluation, as the artist's figurative work had acquired a "vocation to myth" that will be reflected in all his subsequent work: he will convey it through a tormented and sensual contemplation of the virile form, often concealed by an ambiguous and mundane veil: his "Endymion
Endymion (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Endymion , was variously a handsome Aeolian shepherd or hunter or a king who ruled and was said to reside at Olympia in Elis, but he was also said to reside and was venerated on Mount Latmus in Caria, on the west coast of Asia Minor....
" of 1931 confirms this fully.
Giuseppe Ungaretti
Giuseppe Ungaretti
Giuseppe Ungaretti was an Italian modernist poet, journalist, essayist, critic and academic. A leading representative of the experimental trend known as Ermetismo , he was one of the most prominent contributors to 20th century Italian literature. Influenced by symbolism, he was briefly aligned...
presented in a relevant catalogue, Janni's first personal exhibition
Art exhibition
Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhibition". In American English, they may be called "exhibit", "exposition" or...
at the Galleria della Cometa, 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 1936, where many important paintings were displayed, among which: Figura d'aprile, Giovani atleti, Lo specchio, Figura di Balletto. Highly acclaimed by public and art critics, he organised again at the same Gallery a second personal exhibition and, in 1936, he attended the Biennale di Venezia and displayed three paintings at the Modern Italian Art Expo of Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
.
After a visit to the Universal Exposition of 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...
with Alberto Ziveri
Alberto Ziveri
Alberto Ziveri , was an Italian painter belonging to the modern movement of the Scuola romana , author of urban landscapes and realist narrative scenes...
in 1937, Janni suffered an existential crisis and abandoned painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
completely. He then decided to dedicate the rest of his life to studying, editing and cataloguing his grandfather Belli's unpublished writings, stored in the family library. Janni will die while doing this labouring work, which included a monumental biographical opus on Belli's life and poetry, in ten volumes.
See also
- Scuola RomanaScuola RomanaScuola romana or Scuola di via Cavour was a 20th century art movement defined by a group of painters within Expressionism and active in Rome between 1928 and 1945, and with a second phase in the mid-1950s.-Birth of the Movement:...
- Alberto ZiveriAlberto ZiveriAlberto Ziveri , was an Italian painter belonging to the modern movement of the Scuola romana , author of urban landscapes and realist narrative scenes...
- Giuseppe UngarettiGiuseppe UngarettiGiuseppe Ungaretti was an Italian modernist poet, journalist, essayist, critic and academic. A leading representative of the experimental trend known as Ermetismo , he was one of the most prominent contributors to 20th century Italian literature. Influenced by symbolism, he was briefly aligned...
- ExpressionismExpressionismExpressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
- Corrente di VitaCorrente di VitaCorrente di Vita Giovanile , later renamed Corrente di Vita or Corrente, was an Italian magazine founded on 1 January 1938 in Milan by artist Ernesto Treccani....
- Novecento ItalianoNovecento ItalianoNovecento Italiano was an Italian artistic movement founded in Milan in 1922 by Anselmo Bucci , Leonardo Dudreville , Achille Funi, Gian Emilio Malerba , Piero Marussig, Ubaldo Oppi and Mario Sironi...
- Valori plasticiValori plasticiValori plastici was an Italian magazine published in Rome in Italian and French from 1918 to 1922, edited by painter and art collector Mario Broglio and focused on aesthetic ideals and metaphysical artwork...