Luigi Deleidi

Luigi Deleidi (15 November 1784, Bergamo - 2 September 1853, Bergamo) was an Italian Pre-Romantic painter; primarily of landscapes and vedute. He was often referred to by his nickname, "Il Nebbia" (The Fog).

Biography

Donizetti and friends, 1840, now in the Museo Donizettiano in Bergamo. From left: , Gaetano Donizetti, , Simon Mayr and Luigi Deleidi

He was born to an artistically inclined family. His mother was the daughter of Pietro Antonio Gualdi Lodrini, a well-known local painter of religious works, and his brother Marco (1780-1843) also became a painter, although none of his works have been positively identified.

He was a talented musician as well, and often played the bassoon with local orchestras or, occasionally, as a soloist. He performed at both the and the Teatro Riccardi (now known as the Teatro Donizetti). In fact, he was a friend of Donizetti and an associate of other Bergamese artists, including Giuseppe Diotti, Francesco Coghetti and Paolo Vincenzo Bonomini.

Many members of the local nobility commissioned him to do frescoes at their villas, and he obtained many similar commissions during a stay in Rome from 1837 to 1842. Notable among these are the frescoes at the and the , both belonging to the Vertova family. He is also credited with decorations at a building owned by the Torlonia family, identified as either the Villa Torlonia at Castel Gandolfo, or the Palazzo Torlonia. If the latter, he probably worked together with his friend, Coghetti. He also decorated several theaters and participated in the production design.

He died, unmarried, at his home in 1853. The cause was given as apoplexy. It is unknown if he ever had any students. In 1856, a bust of him by Giovanni Maria Benzoni was placed in the Accademia Carrara.