Now that life is getting back to normal I have been able to start work on a talk I am scheduled to give next month. It is becoming a very engaging process. In case you are not familiar with modern art in Italy, Guttuso (1912-1987) was a leading figure in the development of Italian modern art, and I have become very interested in his work. A particular question which has intrigued me for some time is the fact that in 1942 he was awarded a prestigious prize for his work Crocifissione (Crucifixion). Several aspects of this interest me. Most puzzling of all is the fact that, as a well-known and long-term critic of the fascist regime, he was rewarded with such public recognition. Furthermore, as somebody who had no particular attachment to the Christian faith, in what ways and to what effect he was utilising this central Christian symbol. This aspect of the situation is made more interesting by the fact that he was the object of strident criticism from the Roman Catholic authorities. This triangle of art-politics-religion I find fascinating. Was artistic achievement recognised in the face of and despite political and religious opposition? Was art used by the political authorities as a way of trumping claims of religious authority? Was the deployment of accepted religious symbolism a means by which it was possible to sneak political discourse into the public sphere? It’s all very interesting and engaging.
Work on this topic is also an incentive give for me to renew my contact with the Italian language, which has been languishing for many months now. My on-line conversation sessions begin again tomorrow, so I really need to recover some motivation here. Isn’t it strange how certain activities and events seem to serve as definitive markers of what we regard as “normality”? Things are not yet so normal that I have re-started painting, but I did look at some reference material today.