Zandomeneghi, whose father and grandfather were sculptors, enrolled in the Venice Academy in 1856. His political beliefs necessitated a move to Florence in 1860. There he met the Macchiaioli and joined them in painting landscapes outside the studio, 'en plein air', which was at that time an innovative approach. In 1874 Zandomeneghi went to Paris, where he was to spend the rest of his life. He quickly made the acquaintance of the Impressionists, who had just had their first group exhibition. Zandomeneghi, whose style of painting was similar to theirs, would participate in four of their later exhibitions, in 1879, 1880, 1881, and 1886. Like his close friend Edgar Degas he was primarily a figure painter. He also admired the work of Mary Cassatt and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and his many paintings of women in their domestic routines follow their example. In the early 1890s Zandomeneghi took up working in pastels, and became especially adept in this medium. At about this same time his reputation and his fortunes were enhanced when the art dealer Durand-Ruel showed Zandomeneghi's work in the United States. In 1914 Zandomeneghi was given his first one-man show in his native country, at the Venice Biennale of that year. |
