MARASTONI, Jakab
(b. 1804 Venezia, d. 1860 Pest)
Hungarian painter of Italian descent. He left Vienna for Bratislava in 1834 and went from Bratislava to Pest in 1836. Together with Miklós Barabás, he was one of the most productive Hungarian painters of his age. The delicate touch, the warm colours and the harmonic composition made him popular with the public. In 1846 he established the First Hungarian Academy of Painting launching art training in Hungary. Although his academy could not rival with academies abroad, he helped Károly Lotz, Mihály Zichy, etc. to start their careers. He lost his eyesight in 1854 and ended up in a madhouse.
