Domenico Piola
Encyclopedia
Domenico Piola was a Genoese
painter of the Baroque
period. His family studio was highly prolific.
, printmaker and designer
. He was the leading artist in Genoa
in the second half of the 17th century, working for both public and private collectors.
Piola was trained by Pellegro and then studied under Pellegro’s teacher, Giovanni Domenico Cappellino
(1580–1651). His early copies after Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione
and his working relationship with Valerio Castello
in the late 1640s and early 1650s encouraged the development of a more Baroque style.
's work, it is visible in The Communion of Clare of Montefalco (London, British Museum
) and his paintings in the Oratory of St John the Baptist at Spotorno
.
Piola's style was fully matured by 1670. The influence of Parmese art was strengthened after the return of Gregorio de’ Ferrari from Parma
circa 1672. Correggio’s style encouraged Piola’s own predilection for diagonal movement, bright colours and strongly foreshortened figures. In 1674 Ferrari married Piola’s daughter. The work of the Casa Piola was considerably augmented. In the 1670s and 1680s the two artists collaborated on many fresco projects.
In 1684 Piola began to fresco the choir of San Leonardo and two rooms in the Villa Gropallo at Zerbino
; all work was interrupted in this year after a French bombardment destroyed much of Genoa
, including Domenico’s house and studio.
In 1684–5 Domenico visited Milan
, Piacenza
, Bologna
and Asti
. At Piacenza, he painted decorations in the Casa Baldini. In Genoa in 1688 he and Gregorio de’ Ferrari began to decorate rooms in the Palazzo Rosso on the theme of the four seasons, Piola executing Autumn and Winter and Ferrari the more lyrical Spring and Summer. Preparatory drawings for Winter survive (Genoa, Palazzo Rosso; London, British Museum
).
. Other members of the Piola family, who were artists included Domenico’s brother, Giovanni Andrea and his three sons Paolo Gerolamo, Anton Maria, and Giovanni Battista; his two sons-in-law, Gregorio de’ Ferrari (his most distinguished pupil and married to his daughter Margherita Piola) and Domenico Parodi; and his brother-in-law Stefano Camogli. The large family studio, called Casa Piola excelled in both quadratura fresco decoration and canvases. Generations of artists, down to the 20th century, descended from the line of Piola-De Ferrari, including Giovanni Maria De Simoni, who died in 1913 in the original residence of Domenico’s family
, Milan; The Royal Collection
, London; Courtauld Institute of Art
, London; J. Paul Getty Museum
, Los Angeles; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
; Hermitage Museum
, Saint Petersburg, amongst others
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
painter of the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
period. His family studio was highly prolific.
Biography
Piola was an Italian painter, draughtsmanDraughtsman
A draughtsman or draftsman , is a person skilled in drawing, either:*drawing for artistic purposes, or*technical drawing for practical purposes such as architecture or engineering...
, printmaker and designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
. He was the leading artist in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
in the second half of the 17th century, working for both public and private collectors.
Piola was trained by Pellegro and then studied under Pellegro’s teacher, Giovanni Domenico Cappellino
Giovanni Domenico Cappellino
Giovanni Domenico Cappellino was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, active mainly in his natal city of Genoa. He was the pupil of the painter Giovanni Battista Paggi. At age 22, he painted a Saint Sebastian for the church of Santa Sabina. He contributed a canvas to the Oratory of San...
(1580–1651). His early copies after Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione was an Italian Baroque artist, painter, printmaker and draftsman, of the Genoese school. He is best known now for his elaborate engravings, and as the inventor of the printmaking technique of monotyping. He was known as Il Grechetto in Italy and in France as Le...
and his working relationship with Valerio Castello
Valerio Castello
Valerio Castello was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. He was very active during his short life in Genoa.He was the youngest son of Bernardo Castello, who died when Valerio was six year old...
in the late 1640s and early 1650s encouraged the development of a more Baroque style.
Works
Piola absorbed CastiglioneCastiglione
-Places:Towns in Italy, many of which were simply called Castiglione prior to the unification of Italy in the 19th century:* Castiglion Fibocchi, in the province of Arezzo* Castiglion Fiorentino, in the province of Arezzo...
's work, it is visible in The Communion of Clare of Montefalco (London, British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
) and his paintings in the Oratory of St John the Baptist at Spotorno
Spotorno
Spotorno is a comune in the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria, located about 45 km southwest of Genoa and about 9 km southwest of Savona. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 4,171 and an area of 8.1 km².Spotorno borders the following municipalities:...
.
Piola's style was fully matured by 1670. The influence of Parmese art was strengthened after the return of Gregorio de’ Ferrari from Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
circa 1672. Correggio’s style encouraged Piola’s own predilection for diagonal movement, bright colours and strongly foreshortened figures. In 1674 Ferrari married Piola’s daughter. The work of the Casa Piola was considerably augmented. In the 1670s and 1680s the two artists collaborated on many fresco projects.
In 1684 Piola began to fresco the choir of San Leonardo and two rooms in the Villa Gropallo at Zerbino
Zerbino
Zerbino is a fictional character of the Matter of France. He appears in Orlando Furioso, the 16th-century Italian romantic epic by Ludovico Ariosto. He is the son of the King of Scotland, Duke of Ross, and brother of Ginevra. He takes part in a joust in Galicia, where Isabella falls in love with...
; all work was interrupted in this year after a French bombardment destroyed much of Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, including Domenico’s house and studio.
In 1684–5 Domenico visited Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Piacenza
Piacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
, Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
and Asti
Asti
Asti is a city and comune of about 75,000 inhabitants located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about 55 kilometres east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River...
. At Piacenza, he painted decorations in the Casa Baldini. In Genoa in 1688 he and Gregorio de’ Ferrari began to decorate rooms in the Palazzo Rosso on the theme of the four seasons, Piola executing Autumn and Winter and Ferrari the more lyrical Spring and Summer. Preparatory drawings for Winter survive (Genoa, Palazzo Rosso; London, British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
).
Legacy
He apprenticed with his family, including his elder brother, Pellegro Piola, as well as with Domenico FiasellaDomenico Fiasella
Domenico Fiasella was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, mainly active in Genoa. He was nicknamed Il Sarzana, after his birthplace.-Biography:...
. Other members of the Piola family, who were artists included Domenico’s brother, Giovanni Andrea and his three sons Paolo Gerolamo, Anton Maria, and Giovanni Battista; his two sons-in-law, Gregorio de’ Ferrari (his most distinguished pupil and married to his daughter Margherita Piola) and Domenico Parodi; and his brother-in-law Stefano Camogli. The large family studio, called Casa Piola excelled in both quadratura fresco decoration and canvases. Generations of artists, down to the 20th century, descended from the line of Piola-De Ferrari, including Giovanni Maria De Simoni, who died in 1913 in the original residence of Domenico’s family
Public collections
Piola is represented in the following collections: Museo dell'Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti, Genoa; Palazzo Bianco, Genoa; Palazzo Rosso Gallery, Genoa; Drawings from the Biblioteca AmbrosianaBiblioteca Ambrosiana
The Biblioteca Ambrosiana is a historic library in Milan, Italy, also housing the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the Ambrosian art gallery. Named after Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan, it was founded by Cardinal Federico Borromeo , whose agents scoured Western Europe and even Greece and Syria for books...
, Milan; The Royal Collection
Royal Collection
The Royal Collection is the art collection of the British Royal Family. It is property of the monarch as sovereign, but is held in trust for her successors and the nation. It contains over 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolours and drawings, and about 150,000 old master prints, as well as historical...
, London; Courtauld Institute of Art
Courtauld Institute of Art
The Courtauld Institute of Art is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art. The Courtauld is one of the premier centres for the teaching of art history in the world; it was the only History of Art department in the UK to be awarded a top...
, London; J. Paul Getty Museum
J. Paul Getty Museum
The J. Paul Getty Museum, a program of the J. Paul Getty Trust, is an art museum. It has two locations, one at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, and one at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California...
, Los Angeles; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, comprising the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in the city of San Francisco and one of the largest art museums in California.-External...
; Hermitage Museum
Hermitage Museum
The State Hermitage is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display,...
, Saint Petersburg, amongst others