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Pietro Longhi was a rococo painter who, although he also created some frescoes and altarpieces, became famous mainly for his contemporary genre paintings and portraits of Venetian everyday life of the upper class. He was born Pietro Falca, the son of a silversmith. He later changed his name to Longhi when he began his career as a painter. His first teacher was the Veronese painter Antonio Balestra. He then sent him to Bologna to Giuseppe Maria Crespi, who was famous for both his religious works and his genre paintings. The influence of the Dutch genre painters, of whom there was at least one important art collection in Venice at the time, is also evident in Longhis works. By 1732 at the latest, Longhis education was finished and he returned to his hometown Venice. In the same year he married Catharina Maria Rizzi. With her he fathered 11 children, of which only 3 reached adulthood.
One of Longhis first works was the "Giant's Downfall", a historic ceiling painting in Palazzo Sagredo. However, the work was apparently only moderately artistically successful. For this reason Longhi is said to have devoted himself from then on almost exclusively to genre and portrait paintings. A special feature in many of Longhi's paintings are the Venetian masks. While in these works some figures are presented unmasked, there are some where either the face is missing or is covered by a mask. In pictures like "Ridotto" Longhi seems to suggest in a humorous, satirical way that the Venetian elite, protected by the anonymity of the masks, behave differently and above all less demurely. Longhis works thus offer an important opportunity today to look at the social customs and everyday life of the time. For example, the famous painting "The Exhibition of the Rhinoceros" from 1751 shows an actual event. Because this rhinoceros was exhibited in Venice this year.
Longhis works were particularly popular with the Venetian patrician families. Therefore, besides the Venetian nobility, his biggest clients included well-known families like Emo, Grimani, Pisani, Sagredo and many others. He was admitted to the newly founded Venetian Academy in 1756 and later became its director. At this time he began to turn increasingly away from genre painting and towards portrait painting. He was allowed to produce various individual and group portraits of the Venetian noble family. Longhi was supported in his later works by his son Alessandro, who later also became a famous portrait painter. Longhi died at the age of 83 in his home town of Venice.
Pietro Longhi was a rococo painter who, although he also created some frescoes and altarpieces, became famous mainly for his contemporary genre paintings and portraits of Venetian everyday life of the upper class. He was born Pietro Falca, the son of a silversmith. He later changed his name to Longhi when he began his career as a painter. His first teacher was the Veronese painter Antonio Balestra. He then sent him to Bologna to Giuseppe Maria Crespi, who was famous for both his religious works and his genre paintings. The influence of the Dutch genre painters, of whom there was at least one important art collection in Venice at the time, is also evident in Longhis works. By 1732 at the latest, Longhis education was finished and he returned to his hometown Venice. In the same year he married Catharina Maria Rizzi. With her he fathered 11 children, of which only 3 reached adulthood.
One of Longhis first works was the "Giant's Downfall", a historic ceiling painting in Palazzo Sagredo. However, the work was apparently only moderately artistically successful. For this reason Longhi is said to have devoted himself from then on almost exclusively to genre and portrait paintings. A special feature in many of Longhi's paintings are the Venetian masks. While in these works some figures are presented unmasked, there are some where either the face is missing or is covered by a mask. In pictures like "Ridotto" Longhi seems to suggest in a humorous, satirical way that the Venetian elite, protected by the anonymity of the masks, behave differently and above all less demurely. Longhis works thus offer an important opportunity today to look at the social customs and everyday life of the time. For example, the famous painting "The Exhibition of the Rhinoceros" from 1751 shows an actual event. Because this rhinoceros was exhibited in Venice this year.
Longhis works were particularly popular with the Venetian patrician families. Therefore, besides the Venetian nobility, his biggest clients included well-known families like Emo, Grimani, Pisani, Sagredo and many others. He was admitted to the newly founded Venetian Academy in 1756 and later became its director. At this time he began to turn increasingly away from genre painting and towards portrait painting. He was allowed to produce various individual and group portraits of the Venetian noble family. Longhi was supported in his later works by his son Alessandro, who later also became a famous portrait painter. Longhi died at the age of 83 in his home town of Venice.