Welcome to the brand new Arthive! Discover a full list of new features here.

Bartolomeo
Pinelli

Italia • 1781−1835

Biography and information

Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor and engraver of the Roman school.

He studied the basics of sculpture from his father, manufacturer, cheap religious statuettes.

He studied at the Academy of St. Luke in Rome and the Academy of fine arts in Bologna.

He produced many engravings.

Pinelli returned to Rome in the late 1790's and was selling his works in a cafe frequented by tourists.

Italian draughtsman, printmaker, sculptor. Born in Rome's Trastevere quarter, in the family of sculptor, Creator of the painted terracotta figurines (pupazzaro) George. B. Pinelli. Under the patronage of the two patrons — the Prince of Lambertini and the Abbot Lavizzari — enrolled in the Academy of St. Luke, studied at the Academy at the Palazzo di Venezia, B. J. Vikara, attended "the Academy thinking" Felice Giani (CA. 1796), who influenced his style of drawing and interpretation of ancient stories. From 1799 he worked independently, doing drawings on ancient themes in the manner of Gianni, not aiming to create a majestic, sublime images of gods and heroes, and interpreting drama genre, with irony and heightened emotional expressiveness (mark Antony at the hands of Cleopatra, 1806, London, private collection; Death of Cato, Wife of the Hasdrubal, killing the son, commits suicide, both of Moscow, GOS. Museum of fine arts. A. S. Pushkin). A drawing of Venus and Cupid, Telemachus (Chicago, art Institute) in 1807 received the award at the Academy of St. Luke, this suggests that such manner devoid of glorification has already received official recognition. Like Jani, leaves Pinelli executed in a quick manner free contour drawing with a pen, ink, or ink in combination with patches of blur brush and bistre. Inspired by the engravings of Marcantonio Raimondi, he began to work in etching and lithography, translating them in his drawings. "His engravings in the etchings good, great and watercolors, extraordinary ease", — wrote about his works of Giuseppe Mazzini.

 

To Pinelli 1809 published his first series of fifty drawings Collection of picturesque costumes (Raccolta di cinquanta costumi pittoreschi). Filled with bright colours the costumes of the inhabitants of the various provinces of Italy look very colorful, are not devoid of folkloric, which was prized in the romantic age. Genre interpreted scenes from the series of drawings to ENEIDE (1811, Hercules slaying the bull), history of Greece (1812), Roman history (1816). The latter consisted of 100 sheets (transferred to the etching) of scenes from the book Roman history Rollin S. (1738).

 

Bartolomeo Pinelli, could often be seen drawing in Campania or in Osteria Gabbana around the Trevi fountain where he usually sat in the corner with his two dogs breed Mastino, the images of which are often brought to their work. He is depicted adorned in the days of the festivities the streets and squares of the city (the Meeting of Pius VII on the Piazza del Popolo, 1814; arch and bridge over the Tiber to Ripetta, both — Rome, Museum of Rome). About the life of the Eternal city, which became part of the Empire of Bonaparte, tells Liszt Rome, occupied by the enemy with the image of the square of the Quirinale Palace with guns and soldiers. And is quite different from the peaceful life of Rome, causing the admiration of visitors, captured on the sheet by a Tourist in Rome (Moscow, GOS. Museum of fine arts. A. S. Pushkin).

 

The watercolors and drawings of Pinelli loved to depict scenes from modern life on the background of the ancient city and its environs. Young peasant women washing clothes in the cascade of fountains in a Park in Tivoli (Laundresses in Tivoli, Rome, Museum of Rome), a family of peasants stopped to rest at the ruins of the Colosseum (Italian family, Budapest, Museum of fine arts). Drawings of Pinelli were eagerly bought by tourists. Special popularity enjoyed his watercolors and lithographs of the Roman carnival — colourful scenes with elegant townsfolk singing and dancing to the music of pifferari and playing the mandolin (Roman carnival, 1822, Rome, NAT. gallery of modern art).

 

Among the citizens Pinelli sometimes portrayed himself and costumed characters of Commedia Dell'arte. Especially know how to have fun at carnivals people in the poorest quarter, Trastevere, whose life Pinelli knew and liked to call himself "the artist of Trastevere". Here Pinelli sketched the regulars zucchini (Osteria Monti, 1820, Rome, NAT. gallery of modern art), various curious scenes, strolling important representatives of rich people, representatives of the local plebs. But all the inhabitants of Trastevere, he sought to capture the majestic features of ancient Romans, the descendants of whom they were (Roman, Rome, Museum of Rome). Here he found the robbers (bravi) is a brave, attacking passing deserted places of the rich, but never offend the poor. Internal dignity, courage and nobility always emphasized in the images of his rogues (watercolors Three robbers, Baltimore, the Art Institute; the Robber and the woman, 1821, Moscow, GOS. Museum of fine arts. A. S. Pushkin). So is the hero of the poem John. Berneri Soldier MEO — MEO Pataca, the way in which Pinelli immortalized in a series of drawings. In the work Berneri told about the Roman celebrations in honor of the victory of the Austrians over the Turks in 1683. The poem was the occasion for a story about the national hero, whose image was in tune with the events of the Risorgimento. The unity of history and modernity, according to the remark of Goethe, was a characteristic feature of the life of the Eternal city, sent in the pictures Run free horses on the Corso, Racing horses on the Piazza del Popolo in Rome (both Rome, Museum of Rome). Such "sacred game" of the ancient Romans described by Pliny. Horses were going to watch residents and other areas. Pinelli vividly and graphically conveys the gestures and facial expressions of the audience, huddled on the street, the balconies of buildings, looking out of the Windows, the traffic rushing trotters from Sicily, Calabria, Puglia. The winner of the race was waiting for a Laurel wreath and a pension, has been opened since the time of the Emperor Nero. Perhaps these drawings "running free horses" knew T. géricault, studying the work of Pinelli, and E. Delacroix, as he wrote in the Diary.

 

The theme of memento mori sounds in the pattern recreation of the author (1815, Rome, Museum of Rome), in which the artist depicted himself next to the two mastiffs in the background lying on the shelf of a skull and the inscription "everything ends". New romantic understanding of the insignificance of fame passes and a drawing Meditation at the tomb of don Quixote (1834). Pinelli seems to want to debunk neoklassitsisticheskoy the idea of eternal memory, which should embody a headstone.

 

In the 1820s Pinelli has created a series of illustrations to the poems of T. tasso, Jerusalem delivered (1827) and Orlando Huff (1829), referring to the popular romantic themes of medieval Christian history; the novel of the romantic writer A. Mazzoni Promessi sposi (1832), the novel by M. Cervantes, don Quixote (1834). In 1829-1830-x Pinelli made a trip to Germany and France where his work was popular. In one of the later series of drawings the Seven hills of Rome (1827-1830) Pinelli has created landscapes of the Eternal city with the image of the seven hills, architectural monuments, scenes of modern life. The narrative Bartolomeo Pinelli of Rome, life and customs of ordinary citizens and residents of the suburbs was in tune with the poetry of his contemporary poet, Gioacchino Belli, who wrote a sonnet in the year of death of the artist.