Andrea Appiani Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Andrea Appiani
Self-portrait, 1790s
Born	(1754-05-31)31 May 1754 Milan, Italy
Died	8 November 1817(1817-11-08) (aged 63) Milan, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Known for	Painting
Movement	Neoclassicism

Portrait of Madame Hamelin (1798)

Portrait of Napoleon (1805)

Andrea Appiani (born May 31, 1754 – died November 8, 1817) was a famous Italian painter. He was known for his beautiful paintings in the Neoclassical style. This style used ideas from ancient Greek and Roman art.

Life of a Painter

Andrea Appiani was born in Milan, Italy. His family wanted him to become a doctor like his father. But Andrea loved art! He decided to study drawing instead. He learned by copying sculptures and prints.

He then studied with Antonio de' Giorgi, who taught him fresco painting. Frescoes are special paintings made on wet plaster walls. He also learned oil painting from Martin Knoller. To understand the human body better for his art, he even studied anatomy with a sculptor named Gaetano Monti.

In 1776, Appiani joined the Brera Academy of Fine Arts. There, he became a master of fresco painting. He created many amazing frescoes. One famous work is in the church of Santa Maria presso San Celso. It shows the four evangelists and church leaders. Another masterpiece is The Parnassus. This fresco shows the Greek god Apollo and the Muses. It is on the ceiling of a dining room in the Royal Villa of Milan. He also painted frescoes honoring Napoleon in the Royal Palace of Milan. These paintings showed ideas like virtues.

Napoleon made Appiani a special artist for the Kingdom of Italy. This meant he received money for his art. He painted many portraits of Napoleon and other important people from that time. Some of his graceful oil paintings include Venus and Love and Rinaldo in the garden of Armida.

After Napoleon's power ended in 1814, Appiani lost his allowance. He became poor. He is called "the elder" to tell him apart from his great-nephew, who was also named Andrea Appiani and was a painter.

Appiani painted a large picture called Encounter of Rachel and Jacob for a church in Alzano. The Brera Academy has a fresco by Appiani called Olympus.

Andrea Appiani passed away in Milan in 1817. He taught many students, including Antonio De Antoni and Giuseppe Bossi.