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Federico Faruffini, Sesto San Giovanni 1833 - Perugia 1869 (Sesto San Giovanni 1833 - Perugia 1869) - Federico Faruffini was born on August 12, 1833, in Sesto San Giovanni, then part of the Duchy of Milan. The son of Paolo, a pharmacist, and Giuseppa Albini, he initially undertook law studies at the University of Pavia in 1848. At the same time, he cultivated his passion for art by attending the Civica Scuola di Pittura in Pavia, where he was a student of Cesare Ferreri and Luigi Trecourt. During this period, he came into contact with artists such as Tranquillo Cremona and Daniele Ranzoni, with whom he shared an interest in a freer and less academic style of painting.His early production focused on historical and religious subjects, influenced by the anti-academic painting of Giovanni Carnovali, known as il Piccio. In 1856 he moved to Rome, where he resided until 1858, then stayed briefly in Venice between 1859 and 1860, studying the masters of Venetian Renaissance painting. In 1861 he settled in Milan, actively participating in the city's artistic life.Faruffini exhibited his works on several occasions, including the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris, where he presented paintings such as "Cesare Borgia listening to Machiavelli" and "Death of Ernesto Cairoli." In 1864 he participated in the Brera Exposition with works such as "Choir of the Charterhouse of Pavia," "Scolari di Alciato," "Annunciation," "Sordello and Cunizza," and "Machiavelli and Borgia," receiving a medal in 1866 for the latter.His style combined elements of realism with blurred outlines and vivid colors, anticipating the themes and techniques of Lombard Scapigliatura. Among his best-known works are "Titian's Gondola" (1861), "Reader" (1865) and "The Sacrifice of the Virgin at the Nile" (1865), preserved in important Italian art galleries.Despite his acknowledged talent, Faruffini lived a troubled life, marked by economic and personal difficulties. In 1869 he moved to Perugia, where, overcome by adversity, he took his own life on December 15 of the same year.