Lucia Gritti
Lucia Gritti was born in Milan in 1863, a descendent of an aristocratic Venetian family integrated into the upper middle class of the Lombard capital. She grew up in a circle which was open to the developments in late nineteenth century painting, and was able to frequent intellectuals and artists, among them Induno, Formis, Gignous, and Morbelli.
Her education was conventional for women of her class, first with the Ursuline nuns in Milan and then at a finishing school in Switzerland. Then around 1890 she spent much time at the studio of Virgilio Ripari, where she acquired a taste akin to the late Romanticism of the maestro.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century she took part in a number of still life exhibitions at the Permanente in Milan, particularly on the theme of flowers, in which she specialized. After 1900 she increased her production of landscapes, drawing inspiration from places around Lake Maggiore, which she visited during long stays in the family villa in Pallanza. After the first world war she interrupted her artistic activity to devote herself to work with cultural associations.
She died in her villa in Pallanza in 1950.
