Giulio Ettore Erler (1876-1964) was an Italian painter known for his sacred art and his role as a teacher and cultural promoter between Veneto and Milan. Born in Oderzo into a South Tyrolean family, Erler grew up in a Central European cultural environment that influenced his art.
He began his studies at the Regio Istituto di Belle Arti in Venice, where he was a pupil of artists, and later studied at the Regia Accademia di Brera in Milan. In this Milanese environment, despite economic difficulties, he consolidated an autonomous artistic vision, inspired by the masters of the past and influenced by the Symbolist style and elements of Art Nouveau.
His exhibition career began early, participating in exhibitions in various Italian cities such as Naples, Florence and Turin, and in international centres such as Paris and Munich. From 1905 he participated in numerous Venice Biennials until 1926, earning praise from critics and, in particular, from Vittorio Pica. He also exhibited at Ca' Pesaro in various editions, contributing to the Venetian art scene of the time.

Parallel to his artistic activity, Erler embarked on a teaching career. After qualifying, he worked as a teacher of Drawing and Figure Drawing at the Scuola d'Arti e Mestieri “Umanitaria” in Milan. Later, from 1911 to 1933, he taught at the “Jacopo Riccati” Technical Institute in Treviso. His educational approach was considered innovative and engaging, but there was no lack of conflict with the educational institutions. During the First World War, due to the vicissitudes of war, he was forced to leave Treviso and was appointed as a teacher at the Brera School. Despite the vicissitudes, he always maintained a reputation as an attentive and rigorous teacher, but also as a critic and independent, characteristics that led him to clash with the Fascist regime, whose membership he refused, compromising his exhibition career at the Venice Biennale.
He returned definitively to Treviso in 1922, settled near Porta Cavour and continued his artistic activity, with a particular commitment to sacred art. He decorated several churches in the province of Treviso and created one of his best-known works, the Via Crucis for the church of Santa Maria del Rovere, which he developed during his summer stays in Alleghe, where he owned a house-studio inspired by Tyrolean architecture.

Despite his lack of inclination to travel abroad, Erler had an important educational experience in Paris in 1905, made possible by the architect Camillo Boito. Although he did not travel much, he moved frequently between Italian cities such as Milan, Venice, Oderzo and Treviso, as well as to locations such as Positano and Alleghe, which inspired many of his landscapes.
For the last twenty-two years of his life, Erler lived with the Simioni family, assisted by Irma Simioni, a former pupil and model of his, with whom he established an artistic and personal partnership. Thanks to Erler, Irma developed her painting skills and continued her activity even after the master's death. Erler died in 1964 in Treviso, and the city dedicated a retrospective exhibition to him in the Palazzo dei Trecento to honour his contribution to Italian art.