USSI, Stefano - b. 1822 Firenze, d. 1901 Firenze - WGA

USSI, Stefano

(b. 1822 Firenze, d. 1901 Firenze)

Italian painter. He received his formal training at the Accademia delle Belle Arti in Florence (1837-50, expelled 1838-40) under Tommaso Gazzarini (1790-1853), Pietro Benvenuti and Giuseppe Bezzuoli. In 1854 he won a scholarship to study in Rome and for several years worked on the large-scale painting that established his reputation, the Expulsion of the Duke of Athens from Florence (1860; Florence, Pitti). This major example of the new realistic tendency in Romantic history painting was acclaimed for its subject - a 14th-century event that alluded to the expulsion in 1859 of Grand Duke Leopold II (1797-1870), in the course of Italian unification - and for the modernity of its realistic representation. It shows the influence of Paul Delaroche and Domenico Morelli, particularly in its dramatic groupings, vivid characterizations and violent colours.

In December 1860 Ussi was appointed professor at the Accademia. He favoured historical and literary themes, executed with a realistic academic vocabulary, and portraits. His more private works, such as the portrait of his wife Linda Ussi in the garden (c. 1858-59; Florence, Pitti), display in their loose brushwork the freshness and luminosity of the style practiced by the Macchiaioli, with whom he was acquainted.

Expulsion of the Duke of Athens

The subject of the painting takes its inspiration from an episode mentioned by Niccolò Machiavelli in his second book of Florentine Histories, about the expulsion of Walter of Brienne, Duke of Athens, in July 1343. The scene is set in a room of the Bargello Palace, where the Duke, who had ruled despotically over Florence, is about to sign his resignation from government over the city. His expression matches the grim face of the perfidious councillor, Cerretieri Visdomini standing behind him, and also provides a contrast to the stationary attitudes of the characters on the left, identified as the figures behind the plot: Archbishop Acciaioli and representatives of the aristocracy and of the people. The ferment in the background culminates with the figure of the soldier on the right who, with his gestures, seems to urge the Duke to make this difficult choice, while through the window, it is possible to notice the celebrations already taking place in the city.

The painting dates back to 1860 and was likely intended to commemorate the recent events of the liberation of Italy from oppressive foreign rule: first and foremost, the Austrian Empire. In fact, it was Tuscany that expelled its Grand Duke, Leopold II of Habsburg-Lorraine to join the newly formed Kingdom of Italy.

This large canvas was a triumph at the 1861 National Exhibition in Florence, and at the 1867 Paris Exhibition, where it was awarded first prize and a gold medal respectively. The lengthy time for its creation can be seen in a series of preparatory drawings and a sketch. The theatrical setting of the scene, which is typical of the historic genre, has been enhanced by the identification of physiognomies and individual expressions. Presumably some of the artist’s friends posed for the main figures in the painting and the figure of the armiger with the bandaged head is Ussi himself.

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The Execution of Savonarola

Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498), a powerful Dominican preacher and church reformer was hung and burned at stake in the central Piazza della Signoria outside the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, on May 23, 1498. This loose oil sketch is a good example of Ussi’s realistic tendency in Romantic history painting.

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