Recognised as one of Napoleon’s most favoured artists, Andrea Appiani was a neoclassical Italian painter born in Milan. Active during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Appiani had trained at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts since he was fifteen years old. He painted both portraits and frescoes on commission and as the Emperor’s court painter. Known for composing graceful and harmonious compositions, Appiani was one of the leading artists of his time.
Education
Born to a doctor, Appiani chose to pursue art over medicine. As a student at the Brera Fine Arts Academy, he trained under prominent masters like Carlo Maria Giudici and Antonio de’ Giorgi. Appiani regularly visited Martin Knoller’s studio and also trained in anatomy under sculptor Gaetano Monti. He was instructed by Giuliano Traballesi for fresco painting. He also spent a year at Domenico Chellu’s studio in Florence.
Influences
After being exposed to the maestros, Appiani was deeply influenced by the school of Leonardo and Correggio’s work, which reflected in the luminescence and smoothness of his paintings, both paintings and historical paintings.
Themes
Prominently known as the “painter of graces”, Appiani usually depicted themes like the Napoleonic state agenda, mythological allegories, and aristocratic and elite portraiture. He worked on both portraits and frescoes throughout his artistic career.
Signature Works
His signature works include the Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte (1805), which captures the ruler wearing the prestigious insignia as the King of Italy, and the Portrait of Joséphine de Beauharnais, a regal depiction of the Empress in formal attire. In the realm of grand frescoes and decorative cycles, his absolute magnum opus is the Fasti di Napoleone (1801–1807), a monumental series of 39 monochromatic canvases at Milan’s Palazzo Reale that mimic ancient Roman marble reliefs, closely followed by The Parnassus (1811), a harmonious ceiling fresco of Apollo and the Muses at the Villa Reale. Lastly, his standout mythological and allegorical paintings are Rinaldo in the Garden of Armida, which highlights his graceful narrative style based on epic poetry, and Apollo and Daphne (1795–1800), a poetic oil rendering of Ovid’s dramatic transformation scene.