By Francesca Lungarotti
Thanks to UIG contributors Giuseppe Molteni and Roberta Motta, UIG is delighted to highlight one of the lesser-known impressionists: the Italian painter Giuseppe De Nittis (February 25, 1846 – August 2, 1884). After being expelled from the Academy of Naples in 1863, De Nittis eventually found his way to Paris, arriving in 1867 at the age of twenty-one. He would soon become a central figure in the aesthetic and institutional upheavals of the 1870’s.
He was influenced by the paintings of the impressionists, but with a marked accent of worldly elegance. De Nittis painted scenes of Parisian life: strolling the Bois de Boulogne, the racecourses, etc. He quickly earned a name for himself, and in 1874 Edgar Degas invited him to participate in the first Impressionist exhibition, becoming the only Italian artist to do so. De Nittis marked out an independent path for himself that drew upon the aesthetic sensibilities of the Salon, as well as the modern compositional strategies of more progressive artists such as Edgar Degas and Edouard Manet, both of whom were friends of De Nittis and, in the case of Degas, a close mentor.
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “Walk with dogs” 1874, 32 x 42 cm oil on paper. 
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “Portrait of Edmond de Goncourt” 1881, 87×115 cm pastel on paper 
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “The Lady with Ulster” 1880 
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “Visiting” 1881, 101 x 73 cm pastel on canvas. 
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “Frost effect” 1881, 33 x 41 cm oil on paper. 
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “Lady with fan” 1882, 26.7 x 41 cm oil on panel. 
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “The salon of Princess Mathilde” 1883, 74 x 92.5 cm oil on panel. 
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 ”Snow Effect” 1880 ,73 x 54 cm oil on canvas. 
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “On Lake Lucerne” 1881, 48 x 67 cm oil on canvas. 
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “By the lake“ 1875, 63.3 x 73 cm oil on canvas. 
Giuseppe De Nittis 1946-1884 “Forest study at dawn” 1869, 30 x 40 cm oil on panel. 
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “At La Grénouillièr” 1873, 35 x 28 cm cm oil on panel. 
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “Mrs. de Nittis with her son” 1875 
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “Breakfast in the garden” 1883, 81 x 117 cm oil on canvas. 
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “La Place des Pyramides” 1875
His urban scenes of Paris depict innovative arrangements and plain air subjects painted with detailed realism that depicts a sophisticated and economically booming city, a characteristic unique to De Nittis’ work.
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “Place de la Madeleine”, Paris 1873. 23,5 x 34 watercolor. Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “La Place des Pyramides” 1875 
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “The Amazon at the Bois de Boulogne” 1875, 31.5 x 42.5 cm oil on canvas. 
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “Triumphal Arch” 1876, 36,7 x 52,6 pencil on paper. 
Giuseppe De Nittis 1846-1884 “The races at Longchamp’. Complete study, 1883. 80×117 cm oil on panel.
De Nittis also spent time in London beginning in 1873, which allowed him to explore even more his lifelong interest in atmosphere and the rhythms of urban life in equally innovative compositions distinctive to the British metropolis. In Paris, as in London, he had great success. His pictorial qualities emerged in works in which the worldly character resents a unique Italian quality in faces and expressions together with streets, squares, and riversides of the two great cities.
During his short life, De Nittis emerged as a multi-influenced impressionist of great detail, and a widely respected if lesser-known protagonist of his time.
Italy-based Molteni & Motta are creators of photographic adventures related to architecture, interior design and art since 1973. To view more of their works, please visit them at http://www. https://www.moltenimotta.it/
All images featured in this post are credited to Molteni & Motta/UIG. All images in this post and on Kaleidoscope are available for licensing. Please contact us at info@universalimagesgroup.com
Sources:
Treccani Online Encyclopedia – https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/giuseppe-de-nittis/
The Phillips Collection, September 6, 2022 – https://www.phillipscollection.org/press/phillips-collection-presents-italian-impressionist-paris-giuseppe-de-nittis
Molteni & Motta – https://www.moltenimotta.it/about-contatti-2/