Born in Venice in 1791, Hayez began his artistic training at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice, where he studied the works of the great Venetian masters, such as Titian. His training was then completed in Rome, under the guidance of Antonio Canova, who had a decisive influence on his artistic growth, spurring him to devote himself to history painting, the noblest genre of the time.
 
Hayez moved to Milan in 1823, where he found a lively cultural environment favourable to the development of his artistic ideas. It was in Milan that he became the main exponent of Italian pictorial Romanticism, producing works that mixed history, literature and a deep national feeling. His early successes included works that reflected the cultural and political climate of the Risorgimento and consecrated Hayez as the painter of national unity.
 
Hayez's career was also characterised by the representation of the female nude, a theme that the artist explored with audacity and sensitivity.
A recurring theme in Hayez's work was political allegory, evident in the famous “Meditation”, a painting depicting a female figure with bare breasts, a symbol of Italy “beautiful and lost” after the defeat of national aspirations in 1848-49. This type of patriotic and historical representation allowed Hayez to become the “painter of the nation”, as he was defined by Mazzini, emphasising his role in awakening Italian consciences.

During his long career, Hayez not only experimented with different styles and techniques, but continued to adapt to the cultural changes of his time, from history painting to portraiture, where he displayed a unique capacity for psychological introspection. His portraits, including the famous one of Alessandro Manzoni, are considered among the most significant of 19th century Europe, capable of capturing the soul of his subjects and conveying the melancholy of Lombard Romanticism.

His activity continued into old age: in 1861 he donated the contents of his studio to the Brera Academy, where he taught as a professor of painting. Even in the last years of his life, Hayez continued to paint.

He died in Milan in 1882, leaving an artistic legacy that still marks the history of 19th century Italian painting today.