The greatest master of still life in the 20th century
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| Giorgio Morandi pictured in his studio in Bologna in 1953 |
The artist Giorgio Morandi, who became famous for his
atmospheric representations of still life, was born on the day in 1890 in
Bologna.
Morandi’s paintings were appreciated for their tonal
subtlety in depicting simple subjects, such as vases, bottles, bowls and
flowers.
He studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna and
taught himself to etch by studying books on Rembrandt. Even though he lived his
whole life in Bologna, he was deeply influenced by the work of Cézanne, Derain
and Picasso.
In 1910 Morandi visited Florence, where the work of Giotto,
Masaccio, Piero della Francesca and Paolo Uccello also impressed him.
Morandi was appointed as instructor of drawing for
elementary schools in Bologna, a position he held from 1914 until 1929. He
joined the army in 1915 but suffered a breakdown and had to be discharged.
During the war his paintings of still life became purer in
form, in the manner of Cezanne. After a phase of experimenting with the
metaphysical style of painting he began to focus on subtle gradations of hue
and tone.
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| Morandi's 1956 painting Natura morta |
Morandi became associated with a Fascist-influenced Futurist group in
Bologna and was sympathetic to the Fascist Party in the 1920s, although he also
had friendships with anti-Fascist figures, which led to him being arrested
briefly.
He took part in the Venice Biennale exhibitions, in the
Quadriennale in Rome and also exhibited his work in different cities.
He was professor of etching at Accademia di Belle Arti from
1930 until 1956 and was awarded first prize for painting by the 1948 Venice Biennale.
Morandi lived for most of his adult life in Via Fondazza in
Bologna with his three sisters until his death from lung cancer in 1964.
He was buried at the Certosa cemetery in Bologna in the
family tomb, which bears a portrait of him executed by his friend, the sculptor
Giacomo Manzù.
During his life Morandi completed 1350 oil paintings and 133
etchings. He once explained: ’What interests me most is expressing what’s in
nature, in the visible world, that is.’
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| A 1952 still life from Morandi |
Morandi is perceived as being one of the few Italian artists
of his generation to remain detached from contemporary culture and politics and
he is now regarded as one of the best modern Italian painters and the greatest
master of still life in the 20th century.
His work has been discussed and written about by many art
critics. Director Federico Fellini paid tribute to him in La Dolce Vita, which
features his paintings, as does Michangelo Antonioni in La Notte.
The novelists Sarah Hall and Don DeLillo and the poet Ivor
Cutler have all written about him. Barack Obama chose two oil paintings by
Morandi, which are now part of the White House collection.
A Giorgio Morandi museum - the Museo Morandi - which includes a reconstruction of
his studio, was opened in 1993 in Bologna.
Many famous photographers took images of him at his house or
in his studio and the interior of his house has been filmed. In 2016 the
American photographer Joel Meyerowitz published Morandi’s Object, a book
containing his photographs of more than 260 objects that the painter had
collected during his life.
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| Morandi's tomb at the Certosa di Bologna |
Travel tip:
The Certosa di Bologna, where Morandi, is buried is a former
Carthusian monastery founded in 1334 and suppressed in 1797, located just
outside the walls of the city. In 1801 it became the city’s monumental cemetery
and would later be praised by Byron in his writings. In 1869 an Etruscan
necropolis was discovered there.
Travel tip:
The Museo Morandi, which displays a large collection of
works by the painter, is being temporarily housed in the Museo d’Arte Moderna
di Bologna, which is in Via Don Giovanni Minzoni in Bologna.