Name Raffaele Armenise | ||
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Died January 14, 1925, Malgrate, Italy | ||
Raffaele Armenise (Bari, March 19, 1852 - Malgrate, January 14, 1925 ) was an Italian painter and scenographer, mainly painting history and genre subjects.
Biography
He studied painting initially in Bari under Nicolo Zito, then at the Institute of Fine Arts of Naples, where he was influenced by Domenico Morelli and Gennaro Ruo. In 1881, he married the daughter of the painter Borsino di Milan, who owned one of the first color (oleographic) printing establishments in Italy. Armenise moved to Milan by 1880 to work with his father-in-law.
Among Armenise's works are: Dall' Usuraio Ebreo (The Jewish Usurer) bought by the Bank of Naples; Il Vaticano sold in Genoa; Lo scolto troppo caro; La prova del veleno; I Libertini, exhibited at the Exposition of Turin in 1880. In Milan, he painted many miniatures: La Visita a Sua Eminenza acquired by the Museo Revoltella of Trieste; I compari di San Giovanni; La Famiglia del Cieco, and L'Infanzia bought by the Mitchell Museum of New Orleans; and Sua Eminenza in campagna.
He completed (1899) the decorations of the Petruzzelli Theater of Bari, destroyed in the fire of 1991, including the sipario with Entry of Orseolo II into Bari after freed of the Saracen onslaught. In these labors, he worked alongside the sculptor Pasquale Duretti, completing a large central ceiling fresco with an allegorical painting with allegories to Music, Dance, and Poetry, and four large medallions with famous Musicians of Puglia: G. Tritto, L. Capotorti, G. Insanguine, and S. Fichera, and five medallions with variety of themes. In Milan, he also served as an illustrator.