Edgar Degas: The Bellelli Family – 1858–60 Paris Musée d’Orsay. This somewhat disquietingly dysfunctional family portrait was made by a young Degas and depicts members of his own extended Italian family. The full text of the article is here →, {{$parent.$parent.validationModel['duplicate']}}, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bellelli_Family, 1-{{getCurrentCount()}} out of {{getTotalCount()}}, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bellelli_Family, Dance Class at the Opera, rue Le Peletier. That there were strains within the Bellelli household at the time was almost certainly noticed by Degas, and confirmed by another uncle: "The domestic life of the family in Florence is a source of unhappiness for us. After his aunt and cousins returned in early November 1858, Degas undertook a series of works that would eventually culminate in The Bellelli Family. It depicts, from left to right, the ten-year-old Giovanna; her mother (and the artist’s paternal aunt) Laura; her younger daughter, Giula, age 7; and the Baron Gennaro Bellelli. A masterwork of Degas' youth, the painting is a portrait of his aunt, her husband, and their two young daughters. By September he had become bored, did not get along well with Gennaro, and remained only to see Laura, Giovanna, and Giulia, who had prolonged their stay in Naples following the death of Degas' grandfather Hilaire on 31 August. The Bellelli Family. His paternal aunt, Laura Bellelli, and her family had lived in Naples, but her husband, Baron Gennaro Bellelli, had been involved in an unsuccess-ful revolt for Italian Independence, and to escape Austrian persecution, the baron and his family had moved to Florence. The Bellelli Family, also known as Family Portrait, is an oil painting on canvas by Edgar Degas (1834–1917), painted ca. The younger one, on the other hand, was smart as can be and kind as an angel. The painting is sometimes referred to as Family Portrait because the subjects were relatives of the artist. Living with Gennaro, whose detestable nature you know and who has no serious occupation, shall soon lead me to the grave." The Bellelli Family 1860-62 Oil on canvas, 200 x 253 cm Musée d'Orsay, Paris: Edgar Degas had come to Italy, where part of his family lived, in 1856. [11], There is a family account, once accepted but more recently deemed unlikely, that offers a different version: a Neapolitan lawyer who married one of Degas' grandnieces claimed that the painting was completed in Italy, and brought back to France only some forty to fifty years later, but this is contradicted by evidence that the painting was exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1867. 0:12 - 0:15 It's actually a portrait of his own relatives. Here he painted his father's sister, Laure, with her husband, the baron Bellelli (1812-1864) and her two daughters, Giula and Giovanna. At the end of July 1858 Laura Bellelli wrote to Degas from Naples, inviting him to stay with her in Florence; it was there that Gennaro Bellelli, who had been a political journalist supporting the fight for Italy's independence, took refuge from Austrian persecution after defeat of the Revolution of 1848. The Bellelli Family, also known as Family Portrait, is an oil painting on canvas by Edgar Degas (1834–1917), painted c. 1858–1867, and housed in the Musée d'Orsay. The preparatory works include portrait studies and compositional details in pencil, pastel, and oil. The piece is highly academic, vastly different from his later Impressionist works. Edgar Degas - The Bellelli Family - Google Art Project.jpg 4,988 × 3,991; 5.73 MB Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas 049.jpg 2,024 × 1,639; 347 KB Degas, Bellelli Family, first detail.png 551 × 615; 862 KB This was about 50% of all the recorded Bellelli's in the USA. It is likely that this portrait hung at the Paris Salon of 1867, but it was badly hung and as a result was largely ignored by the critics. Here he painted his father's sister, Laure, with her husband, the baron Bellelli (1812-1864) and her two daughters, Giula and Giovanna. Preparatory sketches for the painting may have been made in Florence where the family was living—the Baron had been exiled from Naples. The Bellelli family by Edgar Degas The peak of the skill of the early Degas, where he declared himself as a master of the portrait genre, is considered the “Bellelli Family”. In 1918, after his death, it was revealed an exhibition of the artist’s estate, and was immediately bought for 400,000 by the Luxembourg Museum. [2] Degas arrived in Florence by 4 August, living with his uncle Gennaro and making studies in the Uffizi. As I predicted, one of them is very much at fault and our sister a little, too. Edgar Degas (1834-1917) The Bellelli Family 1858-1867 Oil on canvas H. 200; W. 250 cm Paris, Musée d'Orsay © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d'Orsay) / Gérard Blot This page was last edited on 26 February 2021, at 10:11. It is on display at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. A masterwork of Degas' youth, the painting is a portrait of his aunt, her husband, and their two young daughters. A masterwork of Degas' youth, the painting is a portrait of his aunt, her husband, and their two young daughters. Other than the conclusion that Degas worked on the picture "for several years",[10] there is no documentation to confirm the actual time or place at which the picture was painted; a likely scenario is that Degas brought to France numerous sketches and studies and painted the picture in a studio procured for this purpose in Paris. He is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism although he rejected the term, and preferred to be called a realist. [1] However, prior to the painting's sale a restorer apparently misinterpreted these repairs and scraped them off, re-injuring the portraits of Gennaro and Giulia. It is believed that the artist drew each of the figures individually, later combining them in this unique portrayal of their family dynamic. Baumann, Felix; Karabelnik, Marianne, et al. The Bellelli family name was found in the USA in 1920. Degas arrived in Florence by 4 August, living with his uncle Gennaro and making studies in the Uffizi. I am painting them in mourning dress and small white aprons, which suit them very well…I would like to express a certain natural grace together with a nobility that I don't know how to define...."[2], At year's end, Degas stopped work on the double portrait of his young cousins in order to begin a larger painting; it is unclear whether he was undertaking The Bellelli Family itself, or making preparatory sketches.[4]. [14], In 1947 the painting was exhibited in the Musée d'Impressionisme (Jeu-de-Paumes), and subsequently moved to the Musée d'Orsay. Laura Bellelli's countenance is dignified and austere, her gesture connected with those of her daughters. As I predicted, one of them is very much at fault and our sister a little, too." Laura Bellelli was pregnant at the time, and it has been suggested that this circumstance, and the subsequent death of the child in infancy, may have contributed to her unhappiness and to domestic tensions in general. In August 1858 the Bellelli … [5] Any and all historical models were synthesized into a composition that was "unique in the painter's oeuvre and unique among the works of his contemporaries. "Degas". [26] The painting was not seen again publicly until after Degas's death, when it was put up for sale in 1918 as part of the painter's estate. At the end of July 1858 Laura Bellelli wrote to Degas from Naples, inviting him to stay with her in Florence; it was there that Gennaro Bellelli, who had been a political journalist supporting the fight for Italy's independence, took refuge from Austrian persecution after defeat of the Revolution of 1848. [27] Its unexpected appearance created a sensation,[26] and The Bellelli Family was immediately purchased by the Musée du Luxembourg for 400,000 francs. 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