Francesco Lojacono Biography
Francesco Lojacono was an Italian painter, born on 16 May 1838 in Palermo, considered the most important nineteenth-century Sicilian landscape painter. He followed in the footsteps of his father Luigi, also a painter, and was subsequently a pupil of Salvatore Lo Forte. In 1856, at the age of 18, he moved to Naples, where he perfected his skills by attending various traveling painters and the school of the brothers Giuseppe and Filippo Palizzi.
After staying in Florence, where he came into contact with the Macchiaioli, in 1860, at the age of 22, he participated with his father Luigi and brother Salvatore in the Expedition of the Thousand, where he was injured.
Later, he participated in the Battle of Volturno together with other artists, including Vincenzo Ragusa. In 1862, after these events, he returned to Sicily, where he met several important personalities and achieved a fair amount of fame.
Lojacono was nicknamed "Sun Thief" or "Sun Painter" for his ability to infuse his canvases with luminosity. In 1878 he exhibited his works at the International Exhibition in Paris, consolidating his international fame. Among his clients there were various aristocrats, such as Queen Margherita of Savoy, who purchased the painting "The Unexpected Arrival" in 1883, or King Umberto I, who bought "The Summer" in 1891.
Over the years, Lojacono has exhibited his works in various European cities, such as Vienna, Bordeaux and Paris, also participating in the Venice Biennale. He taught a landscape painting course at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples and was the mentor of the young painter Gennaro Pardo, who would become his artistic successor.
Francesco Lojacono died in Palermo on 28 February 1915, at the age of 76. He formed a sincere friendship with Gabriele d'Annunzio, who dedicated some pages of his works to him.
