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Historical Artist - Francesco Hayez (1912 - 1987)
Francesco Hayez was an Italian painter who spent most of his career in Milan after training in
Rome with Canova and Ingres. He is remembered as a key transitional figure from Neoclassicism to
Romanticism in Italian painting. However, his work in more Romantic in subjects matter than in
technique. Hayez preferred to paint religious, historical, and mythological figures and also
painted the portraits of many prominent 19th century Italians. He also taught at the Brera and
became the school’s director in 1860. Typically for his age, his paintings contain
implicit stories and frequently draw on biblical or literary narratives. Also of his time is the
tendency to exploit sensuality with only the faintest overlay of a literary or artistic veil.
Assessment of the career of Hayez is complicated by the fact that he often did not sign or date
his works. Often the date indicated from the evidence is that at which the work was acquired or
sold, not of its creation. Moreover he often painted the same compositions several times with
minimal variations, or even with no variation.
Contemporary Italian Artists
Art Galleries in Italy
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