Andrea Locatelli

Andrea Locatelli - considered a master at the age of 28

Andrea Locatelli was born Andrea Lucatelli in Rome on 19th December 1695, at least according to a self-portrait the artist drew for the Roman art collector Nicola Pio (1677-1733) in 1723. As the son of the painter Giovanni Francesco Locatelli (1660-1741) - a sometimes-postulated familial relationship to the composer Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764) has not yet been proven - he came into contact with the visual arts as a child. After his first lessons in his father's workshop, from 1708 Andrea Locatelli received further tuition from a marine painter named Monsù Alto, about whose identity researchers have no reliable information. In 1712, together with Paolo Anesi (1697-1773), Locatelli became a pupil of Bernardino Fergioni (1674-1738), known as Sbirretto, who also specialised in maritime scenes. In 1723, at the age of 28, the young painter was already considered a master, as testified by the art collector Pio.

Celebrated representative of a little-appreciated genre

Andrea Locatelli orientated himself on models such as Jan Frans van Bloemen (1662-1749), Gaspard Dughet (1615-1675), Giovanni Ghisolfi (1623-1683), Claude Lorrain (1600-1682) and Salvator Rosa (1615-1673). Rosa in particular left a clear mark on Locatelli's work with his romantic approaches, but Lorrain's mythological and antique motifs can also be found in the Italian's fantastical ideal landscapes. Andrea Locatelli himself influenced his fellow pupil Anesi, but also Paolo Monaldi (1710-1779), Giovanni Paolo Panini (1691-1765), Marco Ricci (1676-1730) and especially Claude Joseph Vernet (1714-1789). His excellent reputation meant that throughout his life he worked mainly for the top echelons of society: the high clergy and European nobility. Despite his popularity, he was considered a representative of a less prestigious genre because he did not deal with sacred, historical or mythological themes, but broke with a tradition of importance for his time. This led to his rejection for the coveted admission to the Accademia San Luca. 

Despite his financial success, the artist died in debt

Andrea Locatelli responded to the immense interest in his works by the extensive reproduction of existing pictures. His skill in depicting landscapes and horses meant that he often limited himself to these elements; he devoted great energy to the depiction of farm animals, with horses in particular becoming an increasingly important element, whilst the figures in his paintings were inserted by specialists. Many of Locatelli's landscapes are characterised by a feeling of oppressive, melancholy loneliness, even though the scenery is populated by figures. Due to his extravagant lifestyle, the artist was heavily in debt at the end of his life, despite his great commercial success.

Andrea Locatelli died on 19th February 1741 in his hometown of Rome