Achille Martelli Biography
Achille Martelli (Catanzaro, 1829 - Avellino ? (Bagnoli Irpino, AV, ?), 1903) Having moved to Naples, he took part in the riots of '48. He was a pupil of Giuseppe Mancinelli and Filippo Palizzi at the Nude School and a frequent visitor to the studio, at the Vicoletto di San Mattia, of Andrea Cefaly, together with Domenico Morelli, Michele Tedesco, Michele Cammarano, Achille Talarico and other young artists. His debut took place at the Bourbon Exhibition in Naples in '59, with Portrait of a Man in Uniform. He was then present at the National Exhibition of Florence in '61 with the works, The accommodation of a Garibaldino, The tale of Garibaldi's guest, awarded with a silver medal, Family scene; to the Promoter of Fine Arts of Naples (1862, with the canvas presented in Florence, The tale of Garibaldi's guest, purchased by the local municipality, but of which there is no longer any trace; 1863, with The spring of life; 1864, with The poor blind woman; 1866, with the work Don Quixote in the tavern she thought she was killing a terrible giant, which was awarded and another on the same theme; Parma from 1870, a theme which the artist reproduced in majolica on a rectangular plaque in 1878; 1873, with The Duet and The Lost Time, works later purchased by the Provincial Museum and the Province of Naples; 1881, with two canvases, Le paurose and Il client, Naples, Provincial Administration and with ceramic works, including a costume and two copies, by Palizzi and Velasquez 1888); at the Turin Exhibitions, 1863, 1865; Genoa, 1864. In 1873 he visited the Universal Exhibition in Vienna, being struck by the beauty of the ceramics of the Marquis Ginori (these were the years in which the Calabrian Giuseppe Benassai worked in the Doccia factory as director), so much so that, at the request of the Palizzi and Lenzi, began to paint on ceramics and to send both paintings and majolica to the various exhibitions following that date (at the National Exhibition of Naples in 1877 he sent painted majolica, including The Harvest and the canvas The Love Horoscope, Avellino , Provincial Administration; at the Turin Exhibition of 1880 the Eight ceramic objects; at the Milan Exhibition of 1881 other ceramics, including a statuette, Child's Play and also a bronze, Smile of Innocence; . In 1882 he moved to Avellino, the city where he directed the “Paolo Anania De Luca” art school, opened by the Chamber of Commerce and where, the following year, he published the volume “Practical elements of geometric – linear design for schools elementary and evening schools". He painted portraits and genre works, many of which in Avellino, Provincial Administration (La paurosa, M'ama?...non m'ama?, Before the New Year's Eve, Plate decorated with the reproduction of Velasquez's "Drinkers") and in the municipality of Bagnoli Irpino (where in the meantime he had moved and where his painter friend Michele Lenzi was mayor from 1878 until his death, while he worked as an usher in the municipality). In Catanzaro, in the Provincial Museum, the works Landscape with figures of common people and Waiting. As many as 43 of his works (including Little musicians, The painter in his functions, Self-portrait (of youth), Self-portrait, Procession, sketch, Waiting, Portrait of Mrs. Leone, Portrait of Comm. Leone, On the avenue) were exhibited at 1st Calabrian Art Exhibition, Catanzaro, 1912; and other of his works were presented at the Calabrian Biennials of Reggio in 1920 and 1931.
