Cesare Maggi
Born in Rome in 1881 to actor parents, he became the pupil of Vittorio Corcos in Florence, Gaetano Esposito in Naples (1898), and Fernand Cormon in Parigi (1899). Captivated by the paintings of Giovanni Segantini, he moved to Maloja (1899-1900) and painted the Alpine landscapes of the Engadin and the Aosta Valleys, using the Divisionist technique; his scenes are often enlivened with people and animals.
After becoming friendly with the painter Giacomo Grosso in Turin in 1901 he successfully moved into portrait painting, setting divisionism aside. While still retaining his preference for high mountain landscapes, he widened his subject matter to include seascapes and still lifes; the technique he now used had a Divisionist flavour along with an impasto application of the paint and the colour applied in broad strokes, and between 1920 and 1930 also showed the influence of the Novecento group.
In his last period he returned to a more illustrative naturalism. In 1912 he took part in the Venice Bienniale with the distinction of a room entirely devoted to his work. In 1935 he was appointed to the Chair of Painting at the Accademia Albertina, a position he held until 1951.
Cesare Maggi died ten years later in Turin.
