Michele Cammarano

Michele Cammarano (23 February 1835, Naples - 15 September 1920, Naples) was an Italian painter who was best known for his battle scenes, although he worked with a wide variety of subjects.

Biography

His grandfather was

Naturalistic style.^[2] He had his first exhibition in 1855 at the ""Real Museo Borbonico".^[1]

In 1860, however, he became fascinated with

Victor Emmanuel II.^[3]

In 1865, he moved to Rome then, in 1867, to Venice. In 1870, his admiration for Gustave Courbet led him to Paris. He was determined to meet Courbet, which he did and, while he was there, discovered the works of Théodore Géricault.^[1]

In 1888, he was commissioned by the Italian government to create a monumental canvas depicting the Battle of Dogali (1887). After reading about the geography and local customs, he moved to Massawa to inspect the battle site in person and remained for almost five years to complete the painting.^[1] While there, he also created landscapes and portraits of the local people.

In 1900, he was appointed to succeed his old teacher, Filippo Palizzi, as Professor at the Institute in Naples. After that, his productivity declined; although he made a few trips to Sicily to paint landscapes.^[1] A street in Naples has been named after him.