Gioacchino Toma (24 January 1836–12 January 1891) was an Italian art instructor and painter, noted primarily for historic, realistic and genre subjects in a Romantic style.

Toward the end of his life, Toma authored his autobiography, Memories of an Orphan (Ricordi di un Orfano, Giannini & Figli, 1886) relating a series of memories to his son, Gustavo: his difficult childhood; his tenacity; his desire for redemption; and his civil and political commitment. Together, Toma's experiences imbued his work with an overt melancholy — such that critics commonly described him as "il pittore del grigio," the painter of gray.

Toma was born to a well-known doctor from Galatina — subsequently to be orphaned by his father at age s...