Gioacchino Toma
Gioacchino Toma (24 January 1836 – 12 January 1891) was an Italian art instructor and painter, noted primarily for historic, realistic and genre subjects in a Romantic style.
Toward the end of his life, Toma authored his autobiography, Memories of an Orphan (Ricordi di un Orfano, Giannini & Figli, 1886) relating a series of memories to his son, Gustavo: his difficult childhood; his tenacity; his desire for redemption; and his civil and political commitment. Together, Toma's experiences imbued his work with an overt melancholy – such that critics commonly described him as "il pittore del grigio", the painter of gray.[1][2]
Biography
Toma was born to a well-known doctor from Galatina – subsequently to be orphaned by his father at age six and by his mother at age eight. At age ten, he was entrusted to a paternal uncle and rejected – sent first to a convent and then to the free Hospice of Giovinazzo, a poorhouse. There, Toma learned to draw, making a number still life sketches. He was otherwise self-taught. After leaving the hospice, Toma severed ties with his family at age 18, and fled in 1855 to Naples. There, Toma apprenticed with painter Alessandro Fergola and Domenico Morelli, producing sketches and becoming proficient in ornamental paintwork.
From 1854 to 1855, he worked as an ornamental painter in Naples. In 1857, he was suspected of being an Anti-Bourbon conspirator and was exiled to
After 1859, he took part in revolutionary activities, fighting with
Toma became widely known as an art instructor, as professor at the
Toma published collections of designs for the manufacture of lace, which were awarded silver medal at the Esposizione Generale Italiana of Turin in 1884. He published a text of elementary design, which included a collection of plant drawings and other drawings in twenty plates. Very near the end of his life, Toma authored his short autobiography, Memories of an orphan (Ricordi di un orfano).[4]
Toma's pupils included the noted Neapolitan sculptor Giovanni de Martino and painter Lionello Balestrieri. Numerous streets across Italy are named Via Gioacchino Toma after the artist, including two in Naples – in Vomero and Guigliano in Campagnia.
Toma died on 12 January 1891, in Naples.
Works
Toma painted a large canvas on the Eruption of
Among other major works are Man Tortured by Inquisition, exhibited at Paris; Clemente VII che nasconde le gioie del Vaticano, exhibited at the Promotrice of Naples; La guardia alla rota dei trovatelli, bought by the Ministry of Public Education; Le orfane, awarded in Naples; La messa in casa, acquired by the City of Naples; l'onomastico della maestra, donated to the Academy of Naples.
His master work
References
- ^ "Toma Gioacchino". antichitagiglio.it.
- ^ "The Realistic Paintings of Gioacchino Toma". historiaregni.it. December 19, 2019.
- ^ a b c Brief biography from the Enciclopedia Italiana @ Treccani.
- ^ Dizionario degli Artisti Italiani Viventi: pittori, scultori, e Architetti., by Angelo de Gubernatis. Tipe dei Successori Le Monnier, 1889, page .
- ^ La pioggia di cenere di Vesuvio Archived 2013-12-27 at the Wayback Machine is on display at Palazzo Pitti's Florentine Museum of Modern Art.
- ^ "Luisa Sanfelice in Carcere". Archived from the original on 2013-12-28. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
External links
Media related to Gioacchino Toma at Wikimedia Commons