Andrei Belloli

Andrea Belloli, russified as Andrei Frantsevich Belloli (Russian: Андрей Францевич Беллоли; December 3, 1820 — July 9, 1881) was an Italian painter, notably active in St. Petersburg during Tsar Alexander II's reign; known primarily for his portraits and female nudes.

Biography He studied art at the Accademia di San Luca. During the Revolutions of 1848, he left Italy. In 1850, he settled in Saint Petersburg and initially worked as a decorative painter for churches and palaces; creating everything from small door decorations to plafonds. Later he began to do portraits; mostly of women and children, in oils and colored pencils.

He participated regularly in exhibitions and, in 1861, was named an "Academician" for portrait painting by the Imperial Academy of Arts.

In 1870, for his fiftieth birthday, he was awarded the Order of St. Stanislaus. That same year, he donated one of his best-known works "After the Bath" to the Academy's museum.

For many years, he continued to be involved in activities that benefitted Russian art and artists but, for unknown reasons, he committed suicide in 1881.

Works