Lorenzo Bartolini

Lorenzo Bartolini ( born January 7, 1777 Vaiano ( district Savignano ), Tuscany, † January 20, 1850 in Florence ) was an Italian sculptor.

Life

Bartolini came from a humble family of craftsmen. Even as a child he came to Florence in one of the factories which manufactured handicrafts in series of alabaster (gypsum). Later Bartolini moved to Volterra, where he also worked as Alabastrajo. At 20 he went to Paris to study art. His living he earned during this period with the production of knick-knacks, similar to that of his factory time.

There, in Paris, he joined soon became friends with Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres and came through its mediation to the Académie des Beaux -Arts. As Bartolini and his relief Kleobis and Biton won a second prize at an academic competition, Dominique Denon became aware of him. Denon, the Inspector General of all museums in Paris, recommended him to continue and as a result got Bartolini some very lucrative government contracts.

Napoléon Bonaparte sent him to Carrara in 1808, to found a school of sculpture. Until 1814 his employer Napoleon was forced to abdicate, he was entrusted with the management of this school. When angry citizens Carrara Bartolini chased out of town, he went back to Paris and accompanied his Emperor to Elba.

In June 1815, after the Battle of Waterloo, Bartolini went back to Italy and settled as a freelance artist in Florence. There, he was appointed in 1839 as the successor to Paolo Ricci for lecturers of the Academy of Fine Arts. At the age of 73 years Prof. Lorenzo Bartolini died on 20 January 1850 in Florence.

Bartolini's direction is determined by the academic style of David 's school and approaches also part of the opinion Canovas. In his long and influential teacher at the Florentine Academy he made particularly by the fact deserves, that he introduced the work after the live model again. He is considered the founder of the Verismo in the Italian sculpture. His most famous student was Vincenzo Vela.