“Among the younger artists who have formed a school of their own in Ecouen none stands higher than Luigi Chialiva, a young Italian … He has a fine studio connected with his house, and from this open a great conservatory … It is a lively pleasant scene when the artist works, as he loves to do, in his garden. There he sits under his big umbrella, life always around him, his models – turkeys, geese, sheep, children – grouped about. Every little while his cheerful voice rings out, ‘Voyous, vouyous, restez tranquille,’ to the restless sitters.”

- “An Art Student in Ecouen” in Harper’s Magazine, vol. 70 (December, 1884 – May, 1885), 394.

Luigi Chialiva was born in Italy, but is best known for his association with the artistic village of Ecouen, France. He studied architecture at the Polytechnic Institution at Zurich, and genre painting in Milan. A specialist in outdoor peasant life, he painted people and farm animals in harmony with their natural surroundings. His truthful painting style and enthusiasm attracted a number of pupils to Ecouen, many of whom were from the United States.