Roberto Melli (1885–1958) was an Italian painter and sculptor to the ''

Scuola Romana Scuola romana or Scuola di via Cavour was a 20th-century art movement defined by a group of painters within Expressionism and active in Rome between 1928 and 1945, and with a second phase in the mid-1950s. Birth of the movement In November 192 ...

'', and active in

Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...

and Rome.

Short biography

Born in Ferrara from a Jewish family of traders, in his twenties Melli moved to

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

to start an apprenticeship as an engraver and thereby discovered his artistic talent. He began an activity as xylographer, befriending painter and

etcher Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

Giorgio De Vincenzi Giorgio De Vincenzi (1884–1965), was an Italian painter and etcher. He was a versatile artist, using diverse techniques and specialised in landscapes and portraiture. Short biography and analysis Born in Ferrara in December 1884, De Vincenzi ...

, also from Ferrara. In 1910 Melli moved to Rome, where he shared a studio with sculptor Giovanni Prini. In 1913 he participated in the first exhibition of the ''

'', and subsequently exhibited his work at various shows organised by the

Futurism Futurism ( it, Futurismo, link=no) was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects suc ...

movement, although Melli from then on would pursue his own peculiar style and technique. In 1915, together with artists Vittorio Costantini, Cipriano Efisio Oppo and Guglielmo Pizzirani, Melli formed the "Gruppo Moderno Italiano" (Modern Italian Group) and in 1918 he contributed to the creation of the magazine and current "

Valori Plastici ''Valori plastici'' (meaning ''Plastic Values'' in English) was an Italian magazine published in Rome in Italian and French. The magazines existed between 1918 and 1921. History and profile ''Valori plastici'' was established in Rome by the paint ...

". He became friends with

Giuseppe Capogrossi Giuseppe Capogrossi (7 March 1900 – 9 October 1972) was an Italian painter. Biography Capogrossi was born in Rome. After obtaining a degree in law in 1923–1924, he decided to study painting with Felice Carena at Accademia di Belle Arti di Ro ...

and

Emanuele Cavalli Emanuele Cavalli (1904–1981) was an Italian painter belonging to the modern movement of the Scuola Romana (Roman School). He was also a renowned photographer, who experimented with new techniques since the 1930s. Biography The son of Apulian la ...

, and undersigned the "Manifesto del Primordialismo Plastico". After his personal exhibition in 1936, his public activity was interrupted by the Fascist antisemitic laws, which prohibited any Jewish artists to exhibit work in public galleries and teach in schools. This produced in Melli a profound crisis; his only comfort was his wife's closeness and love. Melli resumed his artistic work after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, in his Roman flat at

Testaccio Testaccio is the 20th ''rione'' of Rome, identified by the initials R. XX, deriving its name from Monte Testaccio. It is located within the Municipio I. Its coat of arms depicts an '' amphora'', referencing to the broken vessels that Monte Te ...

, where each week he hosted a group of young painters who included

Renato Guttuso Renato Guttuso (26 December 1911 – 18 January 1987) was an Italian painter and politician. His best-known works include ''Flight from Etna'' (1938–39), ''Crucifixion'' (1941) and ''La Vucciria'' (1974). Guttuso also designed for the theatre ( ...

Enrico Accatino Enrico Accatino (August 20, 1920 – July 16, 2007) was an Italian abstract painter, sculptor, designer, and advocate of a new Italian culture tied to textiles. He was awarded a gold medal by the President of the Italian Republic for "Benemerit ...

, and

Fausto Pirandello Fausto Calogero Pirandello (17 June 1899 – 30 November 1975) was an Italian painter belonging to the modern movement of the ''Scuola romana (Roman School)''. He was the son of Nobel laureate Luigi Pirandello. Biography After a short experienc ...

. From 1945 he taught at the ''

Accademia di Belle Arti This is a list of the tertiary-level schools or academies of fine art in Italy that are recognised by the Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca, the Italian ministry of higher education. Accademie di Belle Arti The offic ...

'' of Rome and participated in several personal and collective exhibitions. By this time, Melli was considered one of the major representatives of the ''Scuola Romana''. In 1950, he was finally invited to exhibit at the

Biennale di Venezia The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

, which honoured him with a ''personale''. In his last years, Melli continued a parallel activity of painter and art critic. In 1957 he published a book of poetry, ''Lunga favolosa notte (The Fabulous Long Night)'', and in 1958 the

Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna The ("national gallery of modern and contemporary art"), also known as La Galleria Nazionale, is an art gallery in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1883 on the initiative of the then Minister Guido Baccelli and is dedicated to modern and contempora ...

in Rome opened a retrospective exhibition of his work, organised by curators Nello Ponente and

Palma Bucarelli Palma Bucarelli (16 March 1910 – 25 July 1998) was an Italian art historian, curator and administrator, mostly known for her tenure as director of the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna (GNAM) in Rome from 1942 to 1975. Early life Palma Bucarelli ...

.
Melli died soon after.

Assessment

Melli was a painter of great visions, chromatism, and composition – at times, intimate in his pictorial expressions, at others strongly figurative. Exhibited permanently at the

of Rome, two works are especially important in his production: ''La casa rossa (The Red House)'' (1923), a figurative painting that seems a precursor of

Edward Hopper Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realist painter and printmaker. While he is widely known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching. Hopper created subdued drama ...

's style and much of the American production; and the sculpture ''Signora dal Cappello Nero (Lady with Black Hat)'' (1913), this too an anticipation of a parallel tridimensional experimentation by Italian artist Umberto Boccioni.Cf. Giovanni Lista, ''Le Futurisme : création et avant-garde'', Éditions L'Amateur, Paris, 2001. Another work of profound intensity was Melli's last, dramatic self-portrait, painted the same month of his death and currently kept at the Portrait Gallery of

Palazzo Pitti The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...

, in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

. Important also are his writings, such as his collection of poems, ''Lunga favolosa notte (The Fabulous Long Night)'' of 1957.

Permanent exhibitions

* Gallery of Modern Art in

in Rome * '' Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Filippo de Pisis'' in

References

Bibliography

*Cinzia Martini, "Roberto Melli (1885–1958) – L'artista moderno dei valori tonali. Il critico scomodo della coerenza artistica", Preface by Carlo Busiri Vici (volume with CD incl. complete critical catalogue), MMC Edizioni, 2004. *Roberto Melli, ''Catalogo della mostra'', G. Appella & M. Calvesi (eds),

Macerata Macerata () is a city and '' comune'' in central Italy, the county seat of the province of Macerata in the Marche region. It has a population of about 41,564. History The historical city centre is on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza r ...

, 1992 (with bibliography). * – , ''Poesie: Lunga favolosa notte (Poems: The Fabulous Long Night)'', Editore De Luca, 1957. *Alfredo Accatino, ''La veglia del sognatore: poesie e divagazioni di e su Roberto Melli: A 30 anni dalla morte'',

Sapienza University of Rome The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a public research university located in Rome, Ita ...

, 1988.

External links