Domenico Induno (Italian painter) 1815 - 1878
Historical, genre and portrait painter. Brother of Gerolamo. As the son of a minor civil servant at the court of Archduke Maximilian, Induno grew up in straitened circumstances and became apprenticed to a goldsmith before discovering his patron in the copper engraver Cossa who enabled him to attend the academy. As a pupil of L. Sabatelli and Hayez, Induno won the large painting prize in 1837 for his painting “Alexander the Great and his Doctor Philippos” which provided the funds for an extensive sojourn in Rome lasting several years. After initially copying the religious, historical style of his teachers, he later shifted almost completely to the depiction of contemporary Italian folklife and, as the first Italian representative of verism in painting, focused on painting the poor. Although depicting scenes of human misery and need, these were repeatedly reconciled with the sense of warmth and affection which flowed from his paintings. His later works are characterised by their harmonic palette and warm colouring, paired with equally brisk yet meticulous brushwork. Source: Dorotheum * * * Gerolamo Induno (Italian painter) 1827 - 1890 Gerolamo Induno was born in Milan, the younger brother to Domenico Induno. He studied at the Brera Academy from 1839 to 1846 and took part in the Cinque Giornate uprising of Milan in 1848. The ensuing Austrian repression caused him to take refuge with his brother and fellow painter Domenico at Astano in Switzerland and then in Florence. Having enlisted as a volunteer in the legion of Giacomo Medici, he took part in the defence of the Roman Republic, producing numerous studies and paintings at the same time. His return to Milan saw the resumption of artistic activities with a series of genre scenes. He then served with the Piedmontese detachment in the Crimea in 1855 before enlisting once again as a volunteer in Garibaldi’s brigade of Alpine chasseurs in 1859, which provided material for numerous works inspired by epic events of the struggle for Italian independence and unification known as the Risorgimento. The 1870s saw a series of genre scenes in 18th-century settings that proved a great success with art dealers and collectors. The artist also took part in the major events at the national and international level, including the exhibitions of 1873 in Vienna and 1878 in Paris.
