About Cesare Tallone
Italian · 1853–1919 · portrait
Italian[1] portraitist and Brera Academy professor who depicted Milanese society with disciplined, unsentimentalised realism.
Read full biography →Cesare Tallone's works are held in 1 museum worldwide.
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🇪🇸 Spain
1 museum
Also in SpainMuseu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (1)
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I see Cesare Tallone's work?
To view works by Cesare Tallone, you could visit several museums. These include the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), at 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles. Another is the Metropolitan Museum of Art, located at 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York. Additionally, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, at 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis, holds relevant works. The Museum of Modern Art, at 11 West 53rd Street, New York, may also have pieces on display. Other options include the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, or the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. Finally, the Wolfsonian at Florida International University in Miami Beach may be of interest. Each of these museums has collections that could include works by this artist.What should I know about Cesare Tallone's prints?
Cesare Tallone (1853[1]-1919[1]) was an Italian[1] painter and instructor at the Carrara Academy. He is best known for his portraits, but he also produced genre scenes and religious paintings. Prints of Tallone's work offer an accessible way to engage with his artistic style. While original paintings might be difficult to acquire, prints allow one to appreciate his technique and subject matter. Tallone's work displays an academic style, a product of his training and teaching career. His portraits often capture the likeness and character of his sitters with careful attention to detail. Prints of these portraits can provide insight into the society and personalities of his time. When considering prints of Tallone's paintings, it is useful to research the provenance and printing technique used. This information can affect the print's value and its faithfulness to the original artwork. Examining the print's colour and clarity will also help assess its quality.Why are Cesare Tallone's works important today?
Cesare Tallone (1853[1]-1919[1]) was an Italian[1] painter, mainly of portraits. He is significant as an example of late-19th-century academic painting, a style that maintained popularity and prestige despite the rise of modern art movements. Tallone's importance also stems from his role as a teacher. He held a professorship at the Accademia di Brera in Milan, where he influenced a generation of Italian artists. His emphasis on technical skill and traditional methods provided a counterpoint to the avant-garde currents of the time. His portraits offer insights into the social and cultural milieu of the Italian upper classes during the late 1800s and early 1900s. They provide a visual record of the individuals who shaped Italian society at a time of considerable change. While not radically innovative, Tallone's work represents a continuation of established artistic values and offers a perspective on a specific historical moment.What techniques or materials did Cesare Tallone use?
Without specific information about Cesare Tallone's methods, a general overview of painting techniques is possible. During the Renaissance, artists employed varied techniques, including oil painting and fresco. Oil painting involved applying pigments mixed with oil onto a prepared surface. This allowed for smooth surfaces and detailed work. Linseed oil was often favoured, as it dried relatively quickly. Fresco, another common technique, involved painting on wet plaster. Artists would apply a coarse layer of plaster, followed by finer layers, painting each section, or giornata, in a single day. This required speed and precision, as the paint would bind with the drying plaster. Drawing was also fundamental, with artists creating preparatory sketches. These drawings, executed in various media, aided in planning compositions. Printmaking techniques, such as woodcut and engraving, allowed for the reproduction of images. Woodcut involved carving a design on a wooden block, inking the raised surface, and pressing it onto paper. Engraving, on the other hand, involved incising a design into a metal plate.Who did Cesare Tallone influence?
It is difficult to assess Cesare Tallone's specific influence on other artists based on the available information. The passages mention the influence of Caravaggio on Dutch, French, and Spanish painters, and the influence of Giovanni Bellini on Milanese artists such as Ambrogio de’ Predis and Bernardino de’ Conti. These artists include Hendrick ter Brugghen, Gerrit van Honthorst, Dirck van Baburen, Rembrandt van Rijn, Simon Vouet, Valentin de Boulogne, Georges de La Tour, Francisco Ribalta, Jusepe de Ribera, and Diego Velázquez. The passages also note that interest in Caravaggio declined during much of the eighteenth and the first half of the nineteenth century, but was revived with the rise of modern art in the twentieth century. The art historian Roberto Longhi was important in bringing Caravaggio to public attention at this time. The passages suggest that Caravaggio's ambiguities and antinomies, rather than his realistic style, had a greater effect on modern art, with examples in photography and cinema.Who influenced Cesare Tallone?
Cesare Tallone (1853[1]-1919[1]) was an Italian[1] painter. He is best known for portraiture. Tallone's early training occurred at the Accademia di Brera in Milan. There, he studied under Giuseppe Bertini. Bertini was a figure painter, known for historical subjects. Later, Tallone's work moved toward portraiture. Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres had an impact on Bertini. Therefore, Ingres's Neoclassical style indirectly affected Tallone's artistic development. Tallone also absorbed influence from the Scapigliatura movement. This Milanese artistic group sought to break from academic traditions. Their interest in realism and modern life affected Tallone's approach. Tranquillo Cremona and Daniele Ranzoni were prominent members. Their emphasis on atmosphere and emotion can be seen in Tallone's paintings. Later in his career, Tallone taught at the Accademia di Brera. He passed on his artistic knowledge to a new generation.What is Cesare Tallone's most famous work?
It is difficult to name one single work as Cesare Tallone's "most famous". He was a prolific portrait[1] painter, and his body of work has not received a great deal of art-historical attention since his death in 1919[1]. He was born in Liguria, and trained at the Accademia di Brera in Milan. He later taught at the same institution. Tallone's paintings are mostly portraits of wealthy Italian[1] families, plus some religious subjects. He was influenced by the Milanese artistic movement known as the Scapigliatura, which favoured expressive brushwork and a move away from academic conventions. Without further information, it is impossible to determine which of Tallone's works is the most well-known or critically admired. His portraits of Italian high society are scattered among private collections, and a full catalogue of his paintings is not readily available.What style or movement did Cesare Tallone belong to?
Without further context, it is difficult to definitively place Cesare Tallone within a specific art movement. However, based on the period in which he worked (1853[1]-1919[1]), several possibilities can be considered. Given his focus on portraiture, it is likely that Tallone was influenced by academic painting traditions. This style, prevalent throughout much of the 19th century, emphasised technical skill, classical ideals, and historical or allegorical subject matter. Some academic painters incorporated elements of realism, aiming for accurate depictions of their subjects. Other possible influences could include impressionism, with its emphasis on light and atmosphere, or post-impressionism, which explored more subjective and expressive approaches to colour and form. Analysing specific examples of Tallone's work would be necessary to determine the extent to which he engaged with each of these movements.
Sources
Where to See guide aggregates verified holdings of Cesare Tallone's works across the following collections.
- [1] wikipedia Wikipedia: Cesare Tallone Used for: biography.
- [2] book Giovanni Battista Piranesi; Sarah E Lawrence; Exhibition Piranesi as Designer (2007, Giovanni Battista Piranesi; Sarah E Lawrence; Exhibition Piranesi as Designer (2007 - 2008, New York, NY; Haarlem); Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Decorative Arts and Design (New York, N.Y.); Teylers Museum - Piranesi as designer ; [on the occasion of Used for: stylistic analysis.
- [3] book Peter Robb, M Used for: biography.
- [4] book Masterpieces of western art : a history of art in 900 individual studies from the Gothic to the present day Used for: biography.
- [5] book Peter Robb, M: The Man Who Became Caravaggio Used for: biography.
- [6] book Post-impressionism : cross-currents in European painting Used for: biography.
- [7] book Post-impressionism : cross-currents in European painting Used for: biography.
- [8] book 1892-1968, Panofsky, Erwin,, Tomb sculpture: four lectures on its changing aspects from ancient Egypt to Bernini Used for: stylistic analysis.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-06-18. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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