Cesare Ciani
Cesare Ciani (28 February 1854, Florence - 13 February 1925, Florence) was an Italian painter. Life and work. He initially studied at the Technical Institute, then served in the Army for three years. It wasn't until 1878, at the age of twenty-four, that he entered the Accademia di Bellr Arti, where he studied painting with Giuseppe Ciaranfi and Giovanni Fattori. The latter was very influential in terms of Ciani's choice of subjects for his works; portraits and landscapes with figures. In 1888, he presented his painting "The Widow" at the Circolo degli Artisti and, the following  year, it received honorable mention at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. This was the beginning of his regular participation in art exhibitions and gallery shows. By the turn of the century his works had taken on a more urban quality, reminiscent of Lovis Corinth, with a focus on workers. His landscapes also became brighter and his brushstrokes more fluid. In 1922, he participated in the "Primaverile Fiorentina" (Florentine Spring), presenting a series of paintings on rural and popular subjects, many of which depicted the old and crowded Florentine district of ; done in a Post-Macchiaioli style. His paintings sold very  well during his lifetime, but he has since been largely forgotten. Two years after his death, the art critic, Mario Tinti, and the painter, Llewelyn Lloyd, organized a major retrospective, with over 180 works.