Franco Matera - At the tavern

Social themes in art began to gain prominence in the mid-19th century, coinciding with the spread of social questions throughout European societies. The work of painters such as Millet and Daumier, for example, favored subjects related to life in the fields, factory work, or strikes. In Italy, among the first painters to engage deeply with social themes were Pellizza da Volpedo and, in the contemporary era, Renato Guttuso. Franco Matera also falls into this category, and his favorite subjects are peasants and commoners, depicted through his original and personal artistic language, which combines contemporaneity with an authentic and sincere description of a typical everyday reality.

Franco Matera's style draws inspiration from an expressionist language. Matera's synthesis is achieved through a very thick line that outlines the figures and accentuates their physiognomy. The characters in his works are therefore men or women of working-class backgrounds with very pronounced facial features. The color has a very textured, almost earthy consistency, suggesting a closeness, not only formal but also spiritual, to Van Gogh. The extreme simplification of drawing, form, and space represents, on the part of this painter, a conscious choice to bring the representation of reality back to primary values ​​of authenticity, such as those linked to the land and the rural world.

Franco Matera stands out for his pictorial production in which he combines the concreteness of realist narrative with the experimentation of a tendentially expressionist language.

The transaction takes place with maximum security for both the seller and the buyer. We take care of the conformity (provenance, authenticity, state of conservation) of the work and handle the shipping.
Returns are possible no later than 14 days after receiving the order.