Renato Guttuso - Untitled

Portraiture is one of the most widespread artistic expressions, especially in painting, but also in sculpture, throughout the ages. Portraiture is, first and foremost, a description of the subject depicted, an attempt to capture their physiognomy and individual characteristics truthfully and naturally. With the progressive evolution of artistic research, the physiognomic description of the subject has also been accompanied by a psychological one. Therefore, over the centuries, portraiture has also become a means of introspective investigation of the subject, their character, and their state of mind. The processes of abstraction brought about by contemporary art have contributed to this type of investigation.  This work represents a unique aspect of Guttuso's artistic output, as he was typically an artist devoted to painting rather than sculpture. Above all, Guttuso, in his realist vision, always leaned toward physiognomic and volumetric characterization, yet in this sculpture we can appreciate his unusual expressionist vigor. The human figure is brutally reduced through a process of synthesis that renders it practically two-dimensional. The representation takes the form of a crude graffito, with strongly expressionist and archaic overtones. The entire composition is organized with a thick line that eliminates any individual characterization, a highly unusual trait for the Sicilian artist, and everything takes on a powerful symbolic meaning. Renato Guttuso's greatness lies in his ability to convey, even with these limited expressive means, great emotional tension in the subject. This can be seen in the tense movement of the face and neck, well delineated by the nervousness of the line, which gives the representation a strong emotional impact. Renato Guttuso, born in Bagheria in 1911 and died in Rome in 1987, was a painter deeply involved in politics and social issues. His artistic commitment stemmed from his socialist ideals and his outrage over social injustice and abuses of power. He participated in the Fronte Nuovo delle Arti group, developing a Realist-Expressionist style of painting and developing his "social art." Guttuso's most important works, expressing his neorealist art, were masterpieces such as Ficilazione in Campagna (Fucilation in the Countryside) and Fuga dall'Etna (Escape from Etna). He was also elected senator twice, in 1976 and 1979, for the Italian Communist Party.

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