CE'SARI, GIUSEPPE, a celebrated Italian painter, commonly called Il Cavaliere d'Arpino from the birthplace of his father, who was an obscure painter of votive tablets for the images of saints. The elder Cesari settled in Rome, where Giuseppe, or Giuseppino, as he was also called, was born, about 1568. When only thirteen years old, and serving in a menial situation under the painters employed by Gregory XIII. in the loggia of the Vatican, Giuseppe painted some figures by stealth, which led Frit Ignazio Danti, the superintendent of the works, to introduce him to the pope, with whom he eventually became a great favourite, as he was also with four of his successors— Sixtus V., Clemeut VIIL, Paul V., and Urban VIII. He thus enjoyed the highest patronage, and was a great popular favourite, which pleased him better, for more than half a century. He was made a knight of the order del Abito di Cristo by Clement VIII., and was decorated with the order of St. Michel by Henri IV. of France, on the occasion of Henri's marriage with Maria de' Medici. He visited Paris in the train of the Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, nephew of Clement VIII., archbishop of Ravenna, and ambassador of the pope at Paris.
Though Ccsari's style is extremely superficial, and, with the excep tion of great animation of composition, scarcely displays a single essential quality of art, he so carried with him the public taste of Rome, that for many years he was without a rival. Annibale Caracci strove in vain to turn the current of public favour, and the rivalship of Michel Angelo Caravaggio himself was of too temporary a nature, and rested upon too feeble a foundation, novelty, to have any permanent effect. Cesari survived them both upwards of thirty years. He died
at Rome its 1640, and left a numerous school of imitators behind him; but with his life ended his influence also, for there was not a single painter of ability among his scholars : his brother Bernardino, who was one of his assistants, died some years before him. Duriug the life of Caravaggio, the scholars of that painter formed a strong party against Cesari, and a challenge passed between the two principals, but Cesari declined to cross swords with Caravaggio, as he was not a cavaliere. He however himself sent a challenge to Anuibalo Caracci, who on his part responded, that his weapon was the pencil, and he would contend with no other. Tho partisans of Cesari and Caravaggio were called respectively • Idealisti' and Naturalisti.' The works of Cesari, in fresco and in oil, are very numerous : the chief of them is the series in illustration of Roman history in the Conservatorio in the Capitol, commenced for Clement VIII., but not finished until many years after that pope's death. Cesari undertook to complete the paintings in four years, by the year 1600; ho did not complete them however until after a lapse of forty years. They are executed with great spirit, but with an utter disregard of nature ; the design is slight, and incorrect ; the extremities have little variety, and are merely indicated ; the draperies also are undefined, the heads want character, and the colouring is flat. The horses, of which there are many in the battles, are better than the figures, yet they are heavy.
(L'aglione, Vile dc' Pittori, &c.)