Ivan Simonetti
(1817 – 1880)
Portrait of Bishop Strossmayer, 1870 – 1871
oil on canvas, 65.5x50.9cm
MG-68
Simonetti is regarded as one of the most prominent artists in 19th-century Rijeka. After receiving a scholarship, he studied painting in Venice, completing his studies in 1838. Upon returning to Rijeka, he created numerous portraits of dignitaries, with styles spanning from classicism to later realistic portraits. Between 1842 and 1850, he travelled frequently between Rijeka and Italy (Rome, Florence), before finally settling in Venice, where he lived until his death.
In 1865, he met Bishop Strossmayer, for whom he acquired a significant collection of paintings by old masters. The Portrait of Bishop Strossmayer (1870–1871) was created during this period of collaboration. It is a typical academic portrait of a dignitary, yet Simonetti introduces a sense of informality, depicting the bishop with tousled, unkempt hair, thus contributing to the tradition of realistic portraiture in Croatian art.
Text: Dajana Vlaisavljević, museum consultant of the National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Translated by: Robertina Tomić
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb