The artist profile
Juana Romani, also known as Joana Carolina Carlessimo, (1867–1924), was an Italian painter and artist's model. She was born in Velletri. At the age of ten, she went to Paris with her mother and stepfather, Temistocle Romani, an engineer who was looking for a job there. They settled in the Latin Quarter, where she worked as a model in several art schools.
At the age of nineteen, Romani began studying with Jean-Jacques Henner, then became a pupil of Ferdinand Roibert and later his mistress. Like Roy Bet, she chose historical subjects, painting many portraits of young mysterious women in period costumes.
Art appreciation ☣
While some critics unfairly consider Romani to be a "follower" of Roy Bet, her talent and artistic sensitivity stand out among many others.
As one writer at the International Studio argued, Romani's portrait "caused quite a stir" and stated that "the painter seemed to try to transcend the forms of art of the time, to express an emotion, like Leonardo da Vinci in the anime, who always looked at painting the elusive smile of emotion ."
Art appreciation ☣
Often working directly on canvas without using sketches, Romani was particularly adept at accurately rendering delicate materials of Renaissance fabrics onto the pale skin of her models—she was fond of painting paintings representing powerful female mythology or biblical figures such as Salome.
From 1888, Romani exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon, where her work gained fame and became a widely known artist by publishing a series of works in which she worked in the studio or wore the latest fashions.
She was particularly valued as a female portrait painter, including many women from prestigious families, often portrayed as mythological or symbolic figures.
In 1901, she donated 5,000 lire to her hometown art school. Four years later, it was officially renamed "Juana Romani Art Institute". Her work has also been well received by critics.
In her later years, she became insane and was imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital in Paris. She died there around 1924 and was forgotten.
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