Francesco Ghittoni was born on the 25th March 1855, in Rizzolo, a small village in the municipality of San Giorgio Piacentino.
His education
Since he was a child, he was so much good at drawing that his parents decided to let him attend the School of Fine Arts “Felice Gazzola” in Piacenza, where he studied from 1867 to 1879.
He opened his artistic career at the National Expo in Milan, with two little format paintings. After that, he exposed for some national awards in Milan, Rome and Turin and he was noticed by the critics as a talented painter, not enough appreciated.
Since 1903 he was the curator of the Civic Museum of Piacenza and from 1911 Professor and master of painting at the School of fine Arts Gazzola.
He died on the 17th of August 1928 in Piacenza.
Posthumous exhibition
In 1939 a posthumous exhibition about his work, was organized inside of the Salone of Palazzo Gotico of Piacenza, it was well appreciated by the critics; but unfortunately the war time let people forget him.
Artpieces and topics
The “Portrait of Lamoure” was one of the most famous artpieces he made. This painting reminds to “Portrait of lady Buscarini” by Francisco Goya.
This specific portrait by Ghittoni is well painted and detailed, made with a really high accuracy and quality. This painting has different natural shades of cool colors between grey, green and pink. It’s one of the most representative of the Italian paintings of the XIX century.
Francesco Ghittoni painted portraits, genre scenes, sacred items, landscapes, expressing his intensive and dramatic figurative style.
The faithful, sufferance and poverty topics were his most favorite ones. In his portraits and landscapes a veiled sadness is pretty visible.
Some of his works are visible at Galleria d’Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi and School of Fine Art Felice Gazzola
