Constantino Brumidi (July 26, 1805 – February 19, 1880) was an Italian/Greek-American
historicalHistory is the study of the human past, with special attention to the written record. Scholars who write about history are called historians. It is a field of research which uses a narrative to examine and analyse the sequence of events, and it often attempts to investigate objectively the patterns...
painterPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay or concrete...
, best known and honored for his
frescoFresco is any of several related painting types, done on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Italian word affresco which derives from the adjective fresco , which has Latin origins...
work in the
CapitolThe United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the Federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall. Though not in the geographic center of the District of...
Building in Washington, DC.
Brumidi was born in
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
, the son of Stavro Broumidi
http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:SymsEkFOslcJ:www.hellenicnews.com/print.html%3Fnewsid%3D2885%26lang%3DUS+Maria+Stephanos+Greek&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3 (Stavros Broumides in Greek), a native of
FiliatraFiliatra , is a town located in western Messenia. It is passed by GR-9 and is located south of Kyparissia and Pyrgos, w of Kalamata and Messene and 15 km N of Gargalianoi. Its nearby communities are Armenioi or Exochori to the north and Gargalianoi to the northwest...
(in western Messinia, a district in the Peloponnesos, a region in southern
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
).
Constantino Brumidi (July 26, 1805 – February 19, 1880) was an Italian/Greek-American
historicalHistory is the study of the human past, with special attention to the written record. Scholars who write about history are called historians. It is a field of research which uses a narrative to examine and analyse the sequence of events, and it often attempts to investigate objectively the patterns...
painterPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay or concrete...
, best known and honored for his
frescoFresco is any of several related painting types, done on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Italian word affresco which derives from the adjective fresco , which has Latin origins...
work in the
CapitolThe United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the Federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall. Though not in the geographic center of the District of...
Building in Washington, DC.
Parentage and early life
Brumidi was born in
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
, the son of Stavro Broumidi
http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:SymsEkFOslcJ:www.hellenicnews.com/print.html%3Fnewsid%3D2885%26lang%3DUS+Maria+Stephanos+Greek&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3 (Stavros Broumides in Greek), a native of
FiliatraFiliatra , is a town located in western Messenia. It is passed by GR-9 and is located south of Kyparissia and Pyrgos, w of Kalamata and Messene and 15 km N of Gargalianoi. Its nearby communities are Armenioi or Exochori to the north and Gargalianoi to the northwest...
(in western Messinia, a district in the Peloponnesos, a region in southern
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
). His mother was from
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
. He showed his talent for fresco painting at an early age and painted in several Roman
palaceA palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome...
s, among them being that of Prince Torlonia. Under Gregory XVI he worked for three years in the
VaticanVatican City , officially the State of the Vatican City , is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, the capital city of Italy...
.
Emigration and following work
The
occupationBelligerent military occupation occurs when the control and authority over a territory passes to a hostile army.-Military occupation and the laws of war:...
of Rome by
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
forces in 1849 apparently persuaded Brumidi to
emigrateEmigration is the act of leaving one's native country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state, is termed migration. There are many reasons why...
, having joined the short-lived risorgimental
Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic was a state declared on on February 9, 1849, when the government of Papal States was temporarily overthrown by a republican revolution led by Carlo Armellini, Giuseppe Mazzini and Aurelio Saffi...
, and he sailed for the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he became a
naturalizedNaturalization is the acquisition of citizenship or nationality by somebody who was not a citizen or national of that country when he or she was born....
citizen in 1852. Taking up his residence in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, the artist painted a number of portraits. Subsequently he undertook more important works, the principal being a fresco of the
CrucifixionCrucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
in St. Stephen's Church, for which he also executed a
Martyrdom of St. Stephen and an
Assumption of MaryThe Assumption of Mary is a belief held by Christians of the Catholic Church as well as some Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Anglicans, that the Virgin Mary, at the end of her life, was physically taken up into heaven...
. He also executed frescoes at
Taylor's ChapelTaylor's Chapel is a historic chapel located at Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is a Greek Revival style chapel located in a quarter acre fenced-in plot, which also includes a graveyard, within Mount Pleasant Park in northeast Baltimore. The structure is a small, mid-19th century country...
,
Baltimore, MarylandBaltimore is an independent city and the largest city in the state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore City in order to distinguish it from surrounding...
.
In 1854 Brumidi went to
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, where he painted an allegorical representation of the Holy Trinity in the
Mexico CityMexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...
cathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
. On his way back to New York he stopped at Washington D.C. and visited the Capitol. Impressed with the opportunity for decoration presented by its vast interior
wallA wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air...
spaces, he offered his services for that purpose to
Quartermaster GeneralA Quartermaster general is the staff officer in charge of supplies for a whole army.- The United Kingdom :In the United Kingdom, the Quartermaster-General to the Forces is one of the most senior generals in the British Army...
Montgomery C. MeigsMontgomery Cunningham Meigs was a career United States Army officer, civil engineer, construction engineer for a number of facilities in Washington, D.C., and Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during and after the American Civil War.-Early life and engineering projects:Meigs was born in...
. This offer was accepted, and about the same time he was commissioned as a captain of
cavalryCavalry were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat. Cavalry were historically the second oldest and most mobile of the combat arms...
.
His first art work in the
Capitol BuildingThe United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the Federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall. Though not in the geographic center of the District of...
was in the meeting room of the
House Committee on AgricultureThe U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of some federal agencies, and it can recommend funding...
. At first he received eight dollars a day, which Jefferson Davis, then
Secretary of WarThe Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, caused to be increased to ten dollars. His work attracting much favourable attention, he was given further commissions, and gradually settled into the position of a Government painter. His chief work in Washington was done in the
rotundaA rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, often covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
of the Capitol and included the
Apotheosis of George Washington in the dome, as well as other allegories, and scenes from American history. His work in the rotunda was left unfinished at his death, but he had decorated many other sections of the building, most notably hallways in the Senate side of the Capitol now known as the
Brumidi CorridorsThe Brumidi Corridors are the vaulted, ornately-decorated corridors on the first floor of the Senate wing in the United States Capitol.-Background and artist:...
.
In the
Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and PaulThe Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, head church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the location of the Philadelphia Archdiocesan Administrative Offices, is located at 18th Street & the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on the east side of Logan Square in Philadelphia,...
in Philadelphia,
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
, he pictured St. Peter and St. Paul. Brumidi was a capable, if conventional painter, and his black and white modeling in the work at Washington, in imitation of bas-relief, is strikingly effective. He decorated the entrance hall of
SaleaudoSaleaudo is a historic home located at Frederick, Frederick County, Maryland, United States. It is a two-story brick house built about 1866, with four interior brick chimneys...
, located at
Frederick, MarylandFrederick is a city in west-central Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a...
, and listed on the
National Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1979.
He died in Washington, DC
External links