HAYEZ Francesco

Venice, 1791 - Milan, 1882 Painter. The leading Italian exponent of historical Romantic painting. After a classic debut in Rome, under the aegis of Canova, in Milan from 1820 he exhibited works which captivated the attention of the Romantics, blending a noble academic style with patriotic pathos which draws on events from the Italian Middle Ages (Pietro Rossi prigioniero degli Scaligeri [Pietro Rossi, prisoner of the Scaligeri], I Vespri Siciliani [Sicilian Vespers]). From 1822 to 1825 and then from 1850 he taught at the Brera Academy. A popular portrait painter, he painted memorable portraits of Rossini, Rosmini and Manzoni, among others.