Gaetano Previati (Ferrara, Italy, 1852 – Lavagna, Italy, 1920)

Born in Ferrara in 1852, Gaetano Previati received his early training at the Civic School of Art in his hometown. In 1876, he moved to Milan to attend the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied under Giuseppe Bertini and came into contact with the Milanese Scapigliatura movement.

In 1879, he won the Canonica Prize with the painting The Hostages of Crema, marking his official debut on the national art scene.

In Milan, he developed a personal style that evolved from historical realism toward a more symbolist and spiritual painting.

In 1891, he took part in the First Milan Triennale with the work Maternity, which clearly expressed his adherence to Divisionism—a painting technique he rigorously applied and later theorized in his 1909 essay The Scientific Principles of Divisionism.

Previati exhibited regularly at the Venice Biennale from 1895 to 1914, with solo shows in 1901 and 1912. In 1907, he contributed to the “Dream Room” at the 7th Biennale and also exhibited in Paris at the Salon des peintres divisionnistes italiens, organized by art dealer Alberto Grubicy, who, along with his brother Vittore, founded the Society for the Art of Gaetano Previati in 1911.

In his later years, Previati retired to Lavagna, in Liguria, where he continued to paint until his death in 1920.

Photo UniCredit Group (Sebastiano Pellion di Persano)