Pietro Longhi was born in Venice in the parish of Saint Maria, first child of
the silversmith Alessandro Falca and his wife, Antonia. He adopted the Longhi
last name when he began to paint. He was initially taught by the Veronese
painter Antonio Balestra, who then recommended the young painter to apprentice
with the Bolognese Giuseppe Maria Crespi, who was highly regarded in his day for
both religious and genre painting. He was married in 1732 to Caterina Maria
Rizzi.
Among his early paintings are some altarpieces and religious themes. In 1734, he
completed frescoes in the walls and ceiling of the hall in Ca' Sagredo,
representing the Death of the giants. Henceforward, his work would lead him to
be viewed in the future as the Venetian William Hogarth, painting subjects and
events of everyday life in Venice. The gallant interior scenes reflect the 18th
century's turn towards the private and the bourgeois.
Many of his paintings show Venetians at play, such as the depiction of the crowd
of genteel citizens awkwardly gawking at a freakish Indian rhinoceros (see
image). This painting chronicles Clara the rhinoceros brought to Europe in 1741
by a Dutch sea captain and impresario from Leyden, Douvemont van der Meer. This
rhinoceros was exhibited in Venice in 1751.[1] There are two versions of this
painting, nearly identical except for the unmasked portraits of two men in Ca'
Rezzonico version.[2] Ultimately, there may be a punning joke to the painting,
since the young man on the left holds aloft the sawed off horn (metaphor for
cuckoldry) of the animal. Perhaps this explains the difference between the
unchaperoned women.
Other paintings chronicle the daily activities such as the gambling parlors (Riddoti)
that proliferated in the 18th century. In some, the insecure or naive posture
and circumstance, the puppet-like delicacy of the persons, seem to suggest a
satirical perspective of the artists toward his subjects. Nearly half of the
figures in his genre paintings are faceless, hidden behind Venetian Carnival
masks. Like Crespi before him, Longhi was commissioned to paint seven canvases
documenting the seven Catholic sacraments.
Longhi is well-known as a draughtsman, whose drawings were often done for their
own sake, rather than as studies for paintings. Pietro's son, Alessandro, was
also an accomplished painter.
A paraphrase of Bernard Berenson states that "Longhi painted for the Venetians
passionate about painting, their daily lives, in all dailiness, domesticity, and
quotidian mundane-ness. In the scenes regarding the hairdo and the apparel of
the lady, we find the subject of gossip of the inopportune barber, chattering of
the maid; in the school of dance, the amiable sound of violins. It is not
tragic... but upholds a deep respect of customs, of great refinement, with an
omnipresent good humor distinguishes the paintings of the Longhi from those of
Hogarth, at times pitiless and loaded with omens of change".
Unauthorized Site:
This site and its contents are not affiliated, connected,
associated with or authorized by the individual, family,
friends, or trademarked entities utilizing any part or
the subject's entire name. Any official or affiliated
sites that are related to this subject will be hyper
linked below upon submission
and Evisum, Inc. review.
Please join us in our mission to incorporate The Congressional Evolution of the United States of America discovery-based curriculum into the classroom of every primary and secondary school in the United States of America by July 2, 2026, the nation’s 250th birthday. , the United States of America: We The
People. Click Here