Bruno Cassinari - Horse

Bas-relief in silver foil plated in 24K gold

The depiction of animals in art has ancient origins, even appearing in primitive cave paintings. For religious reasons, various types of animals appear in the works of various ancient civilizations. It was especially in the Middle Ages, within the International Gothic style, that animal depictions became widespread as true life portraits, both within works of art and in notebooks of drawings and sketches. The presence of animals as subjects in art remained constant until the contemporary era. In this bas-relief, Bruno Cassinari focuses his research on the figure of the horse. A noble animal, a symbol of beauty and harmony, the horse has repeatedly been a prominent subject in the history of art. Since the fourteenth century, its presence has always been obligatory in battle scenes or equestrian monuments, and for artists, representing it with anatomical precision and naturalistic rendering has always been a challenge.

In this bas-relief, Bruno Cassinari explores his characteristic expressionistic deformations of matter through the figure of a horse. The horse's figure is rendered with an exaltation of its plastic qualities, but these are developed in a form that transcends naturalism, adhering instead to the laws of rhythm and compositional harmony. For this reason, the animal's figure is subjected to elongations and swellings that give its body a sinuous, curvilinear movement that is extremely elegant and dynamic. Even in his treatment of matter, the artist distinguishes himself by a composite approach, in the dialogue between the smoothness of the volumes and the vibrations emitted by the mane and the interaction of the animal's body with space.

Bruno Cassinari, Piacenza 1912 – Milan 1992. He trained first at the Piacenza School of Art and later at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts. In 1939, he joined the Corrente group along with Guttuso, Migneco, Vedova, Birolli, Treccani, and Morlotti. In 1941, Elio Vittorini recognized his talent and curated his first solo exhibition. All his work is characterized by an expressionist synthesis combined with a reflection on Cubist deconstruction. In 1949, he moved to Antibes, where he met Pablo Picasso, Chagalle, Matisse, and Braque.

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