Pier Leone Ghezzi
Encyclopedia
Pier Leone Ghezzi was an Italian Rococo
painter and caricaturist
active in Rome
.
Ghezzi was born in Rome
. His father, Giuseppe Ghezzi
, (1634–1721), also trained Antonio Amorosi
, and was a secretary to the Roman Accademia di San Luca
. Pier Leone himself joined the Academy in 1705 and he executed a painting, the Allegory of Gratitude, to be donated to the institution, as was customary.
He was the godson of Carlo Maratta
. Pier Leone is known for his fresco
es in the Villa Falconieri
of Frascati
.
His pen and gouache
caricatures are much freer in emotion than his state portraiture, and often depict named individuals or professions in satirical
fashion.
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
painter and caricaturist
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
active in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Ghezzi was born in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. His father, Giuseppe Ghezzi
Giuseppe Ghezzi
Giuseppe Ghezzi was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Rome.Born in Ascoli Piceno, Marche , he was the son and pupil of the painter Sebastiano Ghezzi. He painted in the style of Pietro da Cortona. Giuseppe Ghezzi was the first secretary in perpetuity for the Accademia di...
, (1634–1721), also trained Antonio Amorosi
Antonio Amorosi
Antonio Amorosi was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque, active in Ascoli Piceno and Rome.Amorosi was born in Comunanza, then part of the Papal States. In 1668 he moved to Rome where he was trained by Giuseppe Ghezzi. He painted genre scenes similar to those of the Bamboccianti.-References:...
, and was a secretary to the Roman Accademia di San Luca
Accademia di San Luca
The Accademia di San Luca, was founded in 1577 as an association of artists in Rome, under the directorship of Federico Zuccari, with the purpose of elevating the work of "artists", which included painters, sculptors and architects, above that of mere craftsmen. Other founders included Girolamo...
. Pier Leone himself joined the Academy in 1705 and he executed a painting, the Allegory of Gratitude, to be donated to the institution, as was customary.
He was the godson of Carlo Maratta
Carlo Maratta
Carlo Maratta or Maratti was an Italian painter, active mostly in Rome, and known principally for his classicizing paintings executed in a Late Baroque Classical manner. Although he is part of the classical tradition stemming from Raphael, he was not exempt from the influence of Baroque painting...
. Pier Leone is known for his fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es in the Villa Falconieri
Villa Falconieri
The Villa Falconieri is a villa in Frascati, Italy.-History:The villa was originally called Villa Rufina, having been was initially built by Monsignor Alessandro Rufini. Later it was enlarged thanks to Pope Paul III, dates back to 1546. In 1628 Orazio Falconieri purchased the villa and commissioned...
of Frascati
Frascati
Frascati is a town and comune in the province of Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated with science, being the location of several international scientific...
.
His pen and gouache
Gouache
Gouache[p], also spelled guache, the name of which derives from the Italian guazzo, water paint, splash or bodycolor is a type of paint consisting of pigment suspended in water. A binding agent, usually gum arabic, is also present, just as in watercolor...
caricatures are much freer in emotion than his state portraiture, and often depict named individuals or professions in satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
fashion.