Bonaventura Genelli

[1] In 1830 Genelli was commissioned by Dr. Härtel to adorn a villa at Leipzig with frescoes, but after quarrelling with this patron he withdrew to Munich, where he earned a scanty livelihood at first, though he succeeded at last in acquiring repute as an illustrative and figure draughtsman.

[1] Genelli painted few pictures, and it is very rare to find his canvases in public galleries, but in 1911 there were six of his compositions in oil in the Schack collection at Munich.

These canvases, numerous watercolors, as well as designs for engravings and lithographs reveal Genelli's interest in the antique and a fascination with the works of Michelangelo.

Subtle in thought and powerfully conceived, his compositions are usually mythological, but full of matter, energetic and fiery in execution, and marked almost invariably by daring effects of foreshortening.

Nonetheless Genelli merits his reputation as a bold and imaginative artist, and his name deserves to be remembered beyond the narrow limits of the early schools of Munich and Weimar.