Attilio Pratella
Attilio Pratella (born 19 April 1856 in Lugo di Romagna, Italy – died 28 April 1949 in Naples) was an Italian painter known for small, quick landscapes and realistic scenes of Neapolitan life.
He changed his surname from Pratelli to Pratella in 1876. From a young age he showed talent, often staying after class to practice painting. At 16 he illustrated a surgery book for a Bologna doctor. He studied at Trisi College with painter Ippolito Bonaveri, then won a scholarship and studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna (1877–1878). In 1880, after winning the Campagnoli scholarship at age 24, he moved to Naples to study at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli. To support himself, he painted popular tourist scenes for the workshop of Giuseppe Massa and did ceramic decorations for Cesare Cacciapuoti, making imitations of Capodimonte porcelain with the help of antiques dealer Charles Varelli.
In 1887 he married Annunziata Belmonte. In the early 1920s they moved to the Vomero district of Naples. They had five children: Fausto, Ugo, Paolo, Eva and Ada; Fausto, Paolo and Ada also became painters. The Vomero area became an artist colony, where Pratella’s friend Giuseppe Casciaro lived nearby. He spent the rest of his life in Naples and died in 1949 at his home in Vomero.
A street in Naples and one in Lugo di Romagna were named in his honor. Pratella’s work is known for small, swiftly painted Neapolitan views with fine grays and greens, touched by warm tones and bright whites. He often painted Naples’ markets and waterfront, the hills of Vomero, the island of Capri, and the Sorrento coast. Notable titles include Impression; Landscape: Twilight, Green; A corner of Posillipo; Strada del Vomero; In Campagna; and Valle di Camaldoli. His paintings are shown in major Italian modern art galleries in Milan, Naples, and Rome.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 04:20 (CET).