Painter Enrico Nardi was born in Rome, Italy in 1864. He studied under Belisario Gioja and alongside Anticoli Corrado in the late 1880s, dedicating himself to landscapes, classical architecure, and genre subjects. He would become known for developing his own medium in which he applied watercolor, tempera, and white lead to simulate the effect of oil paint. He debuted at the Mostra della Città di Roma in 1890, and in 1891 he joined the Association of Roman Watercolorists, exhibiting with them until 1915. Among his noted works is "In Pilgrimage," which was purchased by King Umberto I in 1898. He also worked as an illustrator, with commissions for the written works of De Amici and De Fonseca.
From 1895 he exhibited regularly with the Società degli Amatori e Cultori, and 1901 and 1903 he exhibited at the Venice Internationals. In 1905 he exhibited at the Promotrice of Turin, and his final participation in an exhibition was in 1945 with the Atristic Association to raise funds for the Agro Romano Schools. He died two years later in Rome.