Antique Oil Painting On Canvas Vincenzo Volpe (grottaminarda 1855-naples 1929)

Beautiful work by the famous painter VINCENZO VOLPE-
Depicting a glimpse of an alley with characters -
Work from the realism period, second half of the 19th century -
frame size 52x39 work 40x27

Born on 14 December 1855 in Grottaminarda, in the then province of Principato Ultra, in via Sant'Angelo[1], his father was a decorator and portraitist[2].

Vincenzo Volpe moved to Naples with his family in 1863, where he attended elementary, gymnasium and high school, but did not pass his high school diploma[2].

From 1867 he had his older half-brother Angelo Volpe as his first master in drawing[2]. On May 27 of the same year he enrolled at the Institute of Fine Arts (Academy of Fine Arts of Naples), where in less than two years he completed the five classes of drawing, here he was a student of Domenico Morelli[3] - one of the most important Neapolitan artists of the 19th century. His vast production is divided into three important phases[4], from 1874 to 1890 he dedicated himself to genre painting and monacelle paintings; from 1891 to 1896 he painted sacred art while the period from 1897 to 1929 is marked by new experiences in genre painting, sacred art and the long series of portraits.

His painting became noticed in 1877 with portraits and landscapes, during the conflict between the new realist school (Palizzi and Morelli), to which Vincenzo Volpe joined, although expressing his inner world and academic conventionalism in his paintings. In 1880 some of his works were exhibited in Turin and in 1881 at the National Exhibition in Milan and received considerable acclaim.

In 1888 with Edoardo Dalbono he was among the founders of the Neapolitan Society of Artists[3].
Between 1891 and 1896, when he dedicated himself to sacred art, he expressed his greatest production in the frescoes of Montevergine, commissioned by Abbot Corvaia[5] to restore the chapel of the thirteenth-century Byzantine Madonna and which are still preserved. For this work he initially worked together with his brother Angiolo[6] and then, after the latter's death, he continued alone until 1896.

With other painters he was invited to decorate the Gambrinus Brewery in Naples in 1890 with the painting The watermelon seller[7].

In 1900 King Umberto I wanted him at the Royal Palace, where he gave him a studio. The monarch himself wanted to be portrayed by Volpe. He was a member of the Superior Council of Antiquities and Environmental Heritage and participated with his works in art events in Italy and abroad.

In 1902 he won the competition for painting teacher at the Institute of Fine Arts[7], taking the place of his teacher Domenico Morelli who had died the previous year and who he held until a few days before his death. He was appointed president of the Institute of Fine Arts from 1918 to 1925, under his presidency the Gentile Reform[8] was implemented, transforming the Institute into an Academy of Fine Arts. He had numerous students, including Roberto Carignani.

He died in Naples on 9 February 1929.