Enrico Cavalli, born on November 5 1849, is the son of the painter Carlo Cavalli and Francesca Motta, who was greatly criticized the teachings of Adolphe Monticelli.
The outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War impelled the Cavalli family to move first to Paris, then to Marseille, where Enrico met and frequented Adolphe Monticelli, whose teachings on the subject of light and colour greatly influenced the young Italian painter. 
