Spartaco Vela
Spartaco Vela (Torino, Italy 1853 - Ligornetto, Ticino, 1895) was a Swiss-Italian artist who painted portraits and landscapes. He was the son of the famous Swiss sculptor Vincenzo Vela. Spartaco was raised in Turin, but like his father, he later retired to Ligornetto. His first lessons in design were by his own father, who encouraged him to draw "al vero" and not copy masterpieces as many textbooks suggested. When a young man, he enrolled at the Brera Academy at Milan, where he studied with Giuseppe Bertini. Other notable teachers Vela got to meet were Eleuterio Pagliano and Mosè  Bianchi. Vela was meticulous in producing works, dedicating himself to various esoteric studies. On the occasion of the National Exposition of Milan he sent the largest canvas featured in the exhibition. It was titled "Rizpah" after Niobe from the Bible, the guardian of the bodies of his sons hanged by King David. Museo Vincenzo Vela. After his death, Spartaco Vela donated the house and works in his father's studio to the Swiss government for the establishment of the museum Museo Vincenzo Vela in Ligornetto. The house, originally designed by the architect Cipriano Ajmetti, was restructured in 2001 by architect  Mario Botta. The collection displays the works of Vincenzo as well as some of Spartaco's paintings and a series of sculptures of his uncle (and Vincenzo's brother) Lorenzo Vela. Among Spartaco's works at the museum are "Lavatoio", "Studio di nudo femminile", "La strada presso la cava" and "Canal Grande".