2/22/13: Circular Pride
Patriotic Celebration,
Carlo Carra
This
piece when taken in context to the time that it was painted means so much more
to the viewer. Painted in 1914, Patriotic Celebration was not only
painted on the brink of World War I, but also celebrating the Italian painter’s
history and culture. Italian flags,
lines, and phrases in the painting are all subtle ways in which the artist
praises his country and his country’s army.
He employs many “free words”, that are meant to inspire thought and
provoke thought with their associated meanings.
At that time, the country would be commemorating the long reign of
Giovanni Giolitti, the longest ruling ruler the country had ever seen (later
replace by Mussolini). The painting is a
celebration of power, pride and innovation.
On the cuspid of a great world war, paintings of political projection
would be celebrated by a nation. The
painting has a circular pattern, representing wheels, propellers, turbines, and
other symbols of progress and technology.
In a way, he has symbolically mimicked Sullivan’s “Form follows
Function” by designing a painting’s shape to build upon his original ideas.
A Bio on Giolitti:
A bit about Italian Futurism (Style Carra used):
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