L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 11 L'Italo-Americano C onstantino Brumidi: not exactly a hous ehold name, and yet he was the man responsible for the decora- tion of several rooms and walls of the U .S . Capitol in Washington D.C. in the 19 th century. Brumidi's chief work, the allegorical fresco The Apotheosis of Washington, covers the interi- or of the dome in the Rotunda, described as the Capitol's "sym- bolic and artis tic heart." Encircling the base of the dome, right below the windows, is the Frieze of American History, where Brumidi painted scenes depicting significant events of American history. In addition, several rooms throughout the building are graced with his work and the Brumidi Corridors, on the first floor of the Senate w ing , are named after him. Brumidi, an Italian immigrant, sure earned his reputation as "the artist of the Capitol." But how did he end up in Washington D.C., tasked with what was at the time (1855) the most ambitious and expensive commission of a federal work of art? Bru mid i's b egin n in gs in Rome Brumidi was born in Rome in 1805. At 13, he enrolled at the pres tigious A cademy of S t. Luke, where he was trained in sculpture and painting, including the technique of true fresco, which he would later apply to his w ork at the Capitol. H e emerged as one of Rome's best artists of the time, decorating the new theater at the villa of the wealthy Torlonia family and working at the Vatican under Pope Gregory XVI, restoring frescoes and painting the official portrait of Pope Pius IX. He received commissions for por- traits and frescoes in several churches and palaces. During the upheaval caused by the s hort-lived Roman Republic of 1849, Brumidi removed some precious artifacts from churches in order to safe- guard them. He was arrested and sentenced to 18 years in prison. After being incarcerated for 13 months, he was pardoned by the Pope, and emigrated to the U.S. Making a name for himself in the United States Brumidi arrived in New York in 1852. He became a U.S. citi- zen five years later, something he was very proud of as his sig- nature on a fresco painted in 1857 in the Capitol's Hall of the House reveals: "C. Brumidi, Artist, Citizen of the U.S." Upon his arrival in the New World, Brumid i got to w ork right away, through private com- missions and painting for cathe- drals and churches in various cities , including N ew Y ork, P hiladelphia, Baltimore and Washington. His talent led him to become the chief artist for the new Capitol building, whose expansion had begun in 1850 – he would work on the Capitol from 1855 until his death 25 years later. The first fresco that Brumidi SILVIA DONATI S miths onian A merican A rt M us eum. "It pres ents Washington as presiding over the values that, at mid-century, defined the hopes for this nation." To paint the 4,664-square- foot mural, Brumidi lay on his back 180 feet above the floor. Another major contribution in the Capitol is the frieze depicting major events in American history at the base of the dome, which Brumidi began painting in 1878, when he was 73. While he was working on the scene "William Penn and the Indians," his chair slipped on the scaffold platform, and he had to cling to a ladder for 15 minutes before being res- cued. The next day, he was back at work. Unfortunately, he would not be able to complete the frieze as he died two years later. Brumidi's contributions to the Capitol earned him a posthu- mous Congres s ional G old M edal, aw arded by the U .S . Congress in 2008. In 2005, on the bicentennial of his birth, a ceremony in the Rotunda cele- brated this important Italian- American figure. A portrait bust of the artist, made in 1966, is placed in the Brumidi Corridors. Brumidi well expressed his pride for and commitment to his work on one of the most impor- tant buildings of his adopted nation when he wrote: "I have no longer any desire for fame or for- tune. My one ambition and my daily prayer is that I may live long enough to make beautiful the Capitol of the one country on earth in which there is liberty." painted in the Capitol, T he Calling of Cincinnatus from the Plow, is housed in Room H-144, then the House Committee on A griculture Room, now the H ous e A ppropriations Committee Room. In it, he depicts a classical event, a retired Roman general recalled to defend his city, seen as parallel to the life of G eorge Washington. His reference to the classical world and use of alle- gorical figures to draw parallels to American history would be largely used on subsequent fres- coes. This is particularly evident in what is considered his master- piece, The Apotheosis of George Washington, which he painted in 11 months at the end of the Civil War. 'Mich elan gelo' of th e Capitol In The Apotheosis of George Washington, Brumidi presents George Washington, the first president of the United States, as the father of the country, flanked by the allegorical figures of Liberty and Freedom, surmount- ed by 13 more allegorical figures repres enting the 13 original colon ies , and s urrounded by vignettes pointing to the virtues of A merican invention and progress. "Together it shows the history of the Roman Republic as the precursor to American democra- cy," explains Eleanor J ones Harvey, senior curator at the Constantino Brumidi: The Italian-American Artist Who Decorated the U.S. Capitol The painter Constantino Brumidi who decorated several rooms and walls of the U.S. Capitol. Photo credit: Architect of the Capitol LIFE PEOPLE MOVIES MUSIC BOOKS

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