Scuola romana or Scuola di via Cavour was a 20th-century

art movement An art movement is a tendency or style in art with a specific art philosophy or goal, followed by a group of artists during a specific period of time, (usually a few months, years or decades) or, at least, with the heyday of the movement defined ...

defined by a group of painters within

Expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

and active in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

between 1928 and 1945, and with a second phase in the mid-1950s.

Birth of the movement

In November 1927, artists Antonietta Raphaël and Mario Mafai moved to No. 325 of Roman street '' via Cavour'', in a Savoyan palace subsequently demolished in 1930 in order to allow the

fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

construction of the ''New Empire Way'' (currently the via dei Fori Imperiali). The apartment's larger room was transformed into a studio. Within a short time, this studio became a meeting point for literati such as Enrico Falqui, Giuseppe Ungaretti, Libero de Libero, Leonardo Sinisgalli, as well as young artists Scipione, Renato Marino Mazzacurati, and Corrado Cagli.

Contraposition to the sensibility of the Return to Order Movement

The spontaneous confluence of artists at the via Cavour studio does not appear to have been led by true and proper programmes or

manifesto A manifesto is a written declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party, or government. A manifesto can accept a previously published opinion or public consensus, but many prominent ...

s, but rather by friendship, cultural syntheses and a singular pictorial cohesion. With their firm approach to European

expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

, they formally contraposed the solid and orderly painting of neoclassic character, promoted by the '' Return to order'' current in the 1920s, which was particularly strong in the Italian sensibility of post-

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The first identification of this artistic group should be attributed to Roberto Longhi, who wrote:in ''L'Italia Letteraria (Literary Italy)'' of 7 April 1929. and added: Longhi used this definition to indicate the special work he perceived these artists to be performing within the expressionist universe, breaking off from official art movements.In the journal ''L'Italia Letteraria'' of 14 April 1929, where a concomitance with

Marc Chagall Marc Chagall (born Moishe Shagal; – 28 March 1985) was a Russian and French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with the School of Paris, École de Paris, as well as several major art movement, artistic styles and created ...

is also mentioned. Carlolevi

During those years, painter Corrado Cagli too used the appellative of ''Scuola romana''. His critique does not linger on name identification for the "''nuovi pittori romani (new Roman painters)''" animating this new movement. Cagli described a spreading sensitivity and spoke of an ''Astro di Roma (Roman Star)'', affirming that was the real poetic basis of the "new Romans" : thus highlighting the complex and articulated Roman situation, as opposed to what Cagli called the imperating

Neoclassicism Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiq ...

of the

Novecento Italiano Novecento Italiano () was an Italian artistic movement founded in Milan in 1922 to create an art based on the rhetoric of the fascism of Benito Mussolini, Mussolini. History Novecento Italiano was founded by Anselmo Bucci (1887–1955), Leonardo ...

. The ''Scuola romana'' offered a wild painting style, expressive and disorderly, violent and with warm ochre and maroon tones. The formal rigour was replaced by a distinctly expressionist visionariness. Scipione, for instance, brought to life a sort of '' Roman

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

'', where often decadent landscapes appear of Rome's historical

centre, populated by

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...

and cardinals, seen with a vigorously expressive and hallucinated eye. Similar themes were present in Raffaele Frumenti's paintings in the second season of the Scuola, with vivid red hues and soft brush strokes.

Second Season of the Scuola Romana

After 1930, instead of dying out, the ''Scuola Romana'' continued with various other artists of a "second season", which developed during the 1930s and matured soon after World War II. Among them were Roberto Melli, Giovanni Stradone, Renato Marino Mazzacurati, Guglielmo Janni, Renzo Vespignani and the so-called ''tonalists'' led by Corrado Cagli,

Carlo Levi Carlo Levi () (29 November 1902 – 4 January 1975) was an Italian painter, writer, activist, Independent Left (Italy), independent leftist politician, and doctor. He is best known for his book ''Christ Stopped at Eboli (novel), Cristo si è fe ...

, Emanuele Cavalli and Capogrossi, all gravitating around the activities of the " Galleria della Cometa”. Later members included personalities such as Fausto Pirandello (son of Nobel Prize Luigi), Renato Guttuso, the brothers

Afro The afro is a hair style created by combing out natural growth of afro-textured hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" '' Ebo ...

and Mirko Basaldella, Leoncillo Leonardi, Raffaele Frumenti,

Sante Monachesi Sante Monachesi (1910–1991), was an Italian painter belonging to the modern movement of the '' Scuola romana (Roman School)'' and founder in 1932 of the ''Movimento Futurista nelle Marche ( Futurist Movement of Marche)''. Life and career M ...

, Giovanni Omiccioli and Toti Scialoja.

Museum of the Scuola Romana

The Villa Torlonia in Rome hosts, in its classic "Casino Nobile", the renowned Museums of Villa Torlonia,Se
Musei Torlonia
and the porta
Museums of Rome
which include virtual tours. part of the Museum System of the Comune di Roma: on its 2nd floor one can visit the ''Museum of the Scuola Romana'', offering a comprehensive view of this art movement.

Bibliography

*Giorgio Castelfranco and Dario Durbé, ''La Scuola Romana dal 1930 al 1945'', Rome, De Luca, 1960 *Maurizio Fagiolo Dell'Arco, ''Scuola Romana: Pittura e scultura a Roma dal 1919 al 1943'', Rome, De Luca, 1986 *Maurizio Fagiolo Dell'Arco, Valerio Rivosecchi and Emily Braun, ''Scuola Romana: Artisti tra le due guerre'', Milan, Mazzotta, 1988

Birth of the movement

Contraposition to the sensibility of the Return to Order Movement

Second Season of the Scuola Romana

Museum of the Scuola Romana

See also

Bibliography

Notes

External links