Giovanni Boldini (1842 – 1931)

Born in Ferrara, Italy on 31st December 1842, Boldini received his initial training from his father, a painter and restorer. A precocious talent, Boldini attended the Accademia di Belle Arti (Academy of Fine Arts) in Florence in 1862. There he met the circle of Tuscan realist painters, known as the Macchiaioli, developing a particularly close friendship with Telemaco Signorini and Christiano Banti.
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During a visit to Paris for the Exposition Universelle in 1867, Boldini was greatly influenced by the paintings of Courbet, Manet and Degas, artists with whom he later established lifelong friendships.

Further reading:
http://jssgallery.org/other_artists/Boldini_Giovanni/Giovanni_Boldini.htm
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/boldini_giovanni.html
http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/art.asp?aid=332
http://www.artecultura.fe.it/index.phtml?id=877