The career of Mario Sironi began in the Scuola Libera del Nudo, where he studied under Giacomo Balla before traveling to Paris in 1906. His artistic evolution encompassed early divisionist portraits and a brief engagement with Futurism, eventually leading him toward the massive, immobile forms that characterized his mature, somber aesthetic during the mid-twentieth century.
Early Development and Influences
Born in 1885 in Sassari, Sironi initially pursued engineering studies at the University of Rome. A nervous breakdown in 1903 forced a shift toward the visual arts, where he joined the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma. By 1913, he experimented with the Futurist movement, producing works like the 1915 Composizione futurista. His early years were marked by frequent travel and exposure to German Expressionism, which informed his evolving sense of form.
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Following service in World War I, Sironi moved away from Futurism, embracing the return to order prevalent in European art. In 1922, he co-founded the Novecento Italiano movement. His paintings from this period, including 1925's Solitudine, utilized geometric, contained shapes. Later, his style shifted toward a painterly, primitivist classicism, featuring monumental figures of peasants and family groupings, often described as possessing a solemn expressionism.
Political Engagement and Muralism
Sironi held strong ties to the Fascist state, producing over 1700 political cartoons for newspapers such as Il Popolo d'Italia. He viewed mural painting as the ideal vehicle for a popular, national art form, rejecting the traditional easel painting market. His major public works included the 1935 mural L'Italia fra le arti e le scienze and contributions to the 1932 Exhibition of the Fascist Revolution.
Post-war Withdrawal and Legacy
His identification with Fascism led to a decline in professional status after World War II. Sironi retreated into relative isolation, particularly after the 1948 suicide of his daughter, Rossana. His final works moved toward abstraction, consisting of sketches and archaeological-like assemblages. Sironi continued working in Milan until his death in 1961, though his reputation only began to see a significant scholarly revival in the 1980s.
Fast facts
- Born: 1885, Sassari
- Died: 1961, Milan
- Movement: Expressionism, Futurism, Metaphysical painting, Divisionism
- Occupations: Painter, sculptor, architect, graphic artist
- Notable work: Solitudine (1925)
- Political contribution: Over 1700 cartoons for Il Popolo d'Italia
- Key mural: L'Italia fra le arti e le scienze (1935)
Questions readers ask
What stylistic movements did Sironi belong to?
He was associated with Expressionism, Futurism, divisionism, and the Novecento Italiano movement.
How did Sironi's work change after World War II?
He returned to easel painting and worked in isolation, with his later output becoming increasingly abstract and fragmented.
Achievements
- Movement: Expressionism and divisionism
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