Roberto Longhi

Roberto Longhi (1890-1970) is a historian of Italian art famous for its studies on Domenico Veneziano, for the third time Brugghen, Caravage, Velasquez, Masolino, Masaccio and more particularly on Piero della Francesca (famous study published in 1927).

Its discovery of the churches, the museums and the collections of art of all Europe, in a voyage 2 years between 1920 and 1922, will allow him then, in its writings in many reviews, its famous books and its expostions, to draw the attention to forgotten artists of the Rebirth. It developed a research on the figurative structures and the entry of charge of the image. The control of its particular writing make it recognize, in the Italian literature, like a writer with whole share.

It was also interested, in painting, with the Impressionnisme, the Cubisme, and in literature, particularly, with Charles Baudelaire and Stephan Mallarmé.

Biography

Born on December 28th, 1890 with Alba, in Piedmont, in a family originating in Emilie, he is the son of Linda Battaglia and Giovanni Longhi, professor of the technical matters at the oenological royal School.

In 1910, an exposure to Venice reveals to him Courbet and Renoir.

In 1911, He studies in Turin, with Pietro Toesca, which will remain an admired Master. The same year, it publishes its thesis on Caravage which points out it; then, it leaves for Rome where it follows the teaching of Adolfo Venturi.

He collaborates in the review Arte and as from 1912, with a review of avant-garde, Voce . Tests on Mattia Preti, Boccioni, the futuristic .

During the school year 1913-1914, he studies at the university Tasso E Visconti in Rome and meets there Lucia Lopresti, which will become his wife in 1924.

In 1914, it establishes, with the Due Reads , a parallel spiritual and percussion between the Mona Lisa and the Dye stick of Renoir, abuses the idols like Léonard de Vinci, Raphaël and Michel-Angel. It publishes critical articles and notes in the review Arte on Piero della Francesca, on Artemisia Gentileschi, Caravage.

Between 1920 and 1922, it crosses all Europe during two years with Alessandro Contini Bonacossi; they will thus visit the museums, the churches and the private collections of France, of Spain, of Germany, of Austria, of the Netherlands, of Czechoslovakia and Hungary.

In 1922, he works like reader at the University of Rome.

In 1924, he marries Lucia Lopresti, which will become then writer under the name of Anna Banti.

In 1926 he collaborates in the periodic review Vita Artistica which he directs as from 1927 with Emilio Cecchi and which he creates, the following year the periodical Pinacotheca .

In 1927, it publishes its famous monograph on Piero della Francesca and the fact of redécouvrir.

In 1934, it is named professor of medieval art and modern art at the University of Bologna. It publishes Officina ferrarese .

In 1935, it begins from its university career in Bologna. Its courses on Trecento and Quattrocento as a Emilie and Italy of North fascinate the students through the specific quality of the image, the presence of the painter, his insertion in a given medium, one moment of the history; Among his pupils one will quote Pier Paolo Pasolini and Attilio Bertolucci. It will direct in such way research of its students whom they will prepare what will give the exposures of the post-war period: Quatorzième Century bolognais (1950) and with Art lombard, of Visconti in Sforza (1958).

In 1937, its interest, which also relates to the contemporary art, makes him publish a monograph of Carlo Carrà and he becomes also the friend of Giorgio Morandi.

From 1938 to 1940, it directs the periodical Critica d' Arte with Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli and Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti.

In 1939, it intalle with Florence.

In 1943, he resigns of his pulpit of Bologna, following his refusal to swear fidelity in the transitory Italian Social republic, the République of Salò .

In 1946, its Viatico per cinque Secoli di Pittura veneziana appears followed by an exposure organized by Rodolfo Pallucchini.

Between 1947 and 1948, a series of its contributions appear in the Arte Veneta .

1949, it founds the review Paragone , with Anna Banti, his wife, become art historian and critic, novelist and translator. She is the director and written there literary texts.

1950: Longhi continues its teaching and its work with Florence.

1952: It publishes its monograph on Caravage.

1953: it organizes its second exposure to Milan on Caravage in " Painters of reality in Lombardie'" ( I pittori beyond realtà in Lombardia ) with Umberto Barbaro. It produces the same year several documentary on artists like Carpaccio, Caravage, Carrà.

1960, always residing at Florence, it writes the publication of its complete works (5 volumes will appear before its death, 4 were published since) and catalogs it its personal collection, of its books and its photographic library, in its house of Florence the Villa It Tasso , via Fortini, which it acquired in 1939.

Roberto Longhi dies on June 3rd, 1970.
En 1971, its house becomes the " Longhi" foundation; ( Fondazione di Studi di Storia dell' Arte Roberto Longhi ) and comprises all the collections that it bequeathed to him.

Exposures

1948 - Giuseppe Maria Crespi in Bologna
1950 - painting in Bologna at the 14th century in Bologna
1951 - Caravaggio E I caravaggeschi in Milan
1953 - I pittori beyond realtà in Lombardia in Milan
1958 - Arte lombarda dai Visconti agli Sforza in Milan

Works

Publications in Italy

Piero de' Franceschi , Rome (1923)
Piero della Francesca , (1927)
Officina Ferarrese , Rome (1934)
Caravaggio , Milan (1952)
It Correggio E the camera di San Paolo has Roma (1956)
Opere Supplements , Florence (1963)

Publications in France (translations)

Piero della Francesca , Editions Hazan (1927) ISBN 2850251747
Caravage - Threshold, collection Glance (1927 and republication 2004), ISBN 2 84105 169 2
the Workshop of Ferrare , Editions Gerard Monfort (1992) ISBN 2852260395
In connection with Masolino and of Masaccio: Some facts. The frescos of Dyes with carmine: Masaccio and Dante. Pandora editions, (1981)
Masolino and Masaccio , Pandora editions, (1983)

Internal references

The works with accompanying notes in its works:

the Death of the Virgin of Caravage
All the frescos of Piero della Francesca

Other references

Writings of Federico Zeri which quotes Longhi and Bernard Berenson, in its gallery of portraits and its various autobiographical work-talks.

Internal bonds

Other historians of art having written on the Italy:

External bonds

Its Italian biography
Official site of the Foundation Roberto Longhi Fondazione di Studi di Storia dell' Arte Roberto Longhi

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