Alberto Zardo Biography
Alberto Zardo, born in Padua in 1876 and died in Florence in 1959, was an Italian painter and illustrator. His training took place at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, under the guidance of Raffaello Sorbi, a genre painter, and he later also attended Augusto Rivalta's sculpture courses. Unlike his master, Zardo specialized in various genres, from portrait to landscape and figure, achieving moderate success. In his first period, the landscapes present links with symbolism, and then become increasingly closer to realism. Zardo's paintings are characterized by bright chromaticism and a broad, full-bodied brushstroke. At the beginning of the 20th century the artist began to collaborate in the field of illustration and in 1901 he won first prize in the Alinari competition for the Divine Comedy. In recent years, he has also dedicated himself to sacred painting. In 1909 he participated in the International Exhibition in Munich, the Paris Salon and the Brussels International. In 1918 he was appointed resident member of the Accademia Fiorentina and continued his artistic activity until the early 1950s. He died in his adopted city, Florence, in 1959.
