He began his studies at the
Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli, and completed them in Rome, where he came under the influence of the
Neoclassical painter
Vincenzo Camuccini. In 1843, he was introduced to Emperor
Pedro II of Brazil, who hired him as a
court painter and Master of Painting for the Empress consort,
Teresa Cristina. At the age of thirty-three, he became the leading artist in Brazil and was charged with reorganizing the
Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in
Rio de Janeiro. Six years later, in 1849, the Chilean
Consul in Brazil, Carlos Hochkolf, invited him to come to Chile and help establish an art academy there. He accepted the offer and was instrumental in creating the
Academy of Painting (Santiago, Chile). He served as director of the academy of twenty years; focusing on the European
Academic tradition, with focus on the Greco-Roman canons. The institution was often criticized for discouraging creativity and ignoring the artistic possibilities of Chile itself. Among his harshest critics were the French-born painter, and one of the academy's first students,
Antonio Smith. Despite these criticisms, most of Chile's prominent painters of the time began as his students; including
Nicolás Guzmán Bustamante,
Pascual Ortega,
Pedro Lira,
Cosme San Martín,
Onofre Jarpa,
Manuel Antonio Caro, and
Agustina Gutiérrez. In 1853 he became a Chilean citizen. In 1869, he resigned his position at the academy and was replaced by the German-born painter,
Ernst Kirchbach. He remained in Chile until his death. His works include an unknown, though large, number of portraits as well as religious and mythological scenes; based on
Classical models. The motif of the "Painting-within-a-painting" had a particular appeal for him. A few colorful landscapes stand out as exceptions. == References ==