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Yap 1 Khiara Yap Appreciation of Art Professor Rabin 05/12/2020 Aeroritratto di Mussolini aviatore (aerial portrait of Mussolini) (1930) Artist: Alfredo Ambrosi The Aeroritratto di Mussolini aviatore (aerial portrait of Mussolini) (1930) is an oil painting on canvas that exemplifies Futurism. Lois Fichner-Rathus states that Futurism is “An earlytwentieth-century style that portrayed modern machines and the dynamic character of modern life and science” (20-4). In this piece, the foreground and middle ground is an abstract aerial view of the city of Rome and the focal point of the piece is an outlined shaded face of Mussolini. The eyes are drawn to the visual weight of the skull or face because the shaded region is the darkest areas of the entire painting, with smaller areas of light and shadow to add depth, contrast and definition. The lines of the face and layout of Rome are structured and defined. Whereas the background of the painting is blended beautifully with added lines for definition and contrast of the clouds and rays of light. The piece has a strong visual representation of Mussolini over Rome because of the history that is linked between the two which will be discussed later on. The colors that the artist chose work harmoniously because of the color relationship between green, blue and yellow. Blue and yellow are primary colors, while yellow and green are complementary. Thus, providing the painting with the ability to “pop” or come off as more visually appealing. The brush strokes in the painting

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Yap 2 seem to be very seamless and blended very well, but precise and clean at the same time. I feel that this reveals that the artist was more of a perfectionist because of the technique used to overlay the black and white paint on top of the colors underneath it. The artist uses the white paint to add emphasis and contrast to the piece in many ways. For example, the artist adds precise spots of paint on the neck portion of the head for what I assume to be hair.

Alfredo Ambrosi was a Futurist artist who focused on Aeropainting (Aeropittura). According to theartstory.org, “Aeropittura celebrated the technology and excitement of flying” (theartstory.org) and was a very new and popular theme within the 1930s. The 1930s, also known as the fascist period, was a time that many artists were able to branch out and meet new heights in the art industry; taking inspiration from classicism, expressionism, abstract art, monumental art, and futurism. According to the Guggenheim.org, Futurists were “Inspired by the markers of modernity—the industrial city, machines, speed, and flight—Futurism’s adherents exalted the new and the disruptive” (SRGF). Mass communication such as photography, film, radio, posters, and the first illustrated magazines also played a huge role in the creation and expansion of new artwork in Italy. The overall mood of the 1930’s Futurism was introduced angrily by Filippo Marinetti (1876-1944) in a 1909 manifesto that called for “an art of violence, energy, and boldness free from the tyranny of… harmony and good taste” (Fichner-Rathus 20-4). Which is believed to be true because of all the “improvements” made to art culture then.

The Aeroritratto di Mussolini aviatore (aerial portrait of Mussolini) (1930) is an important piece in the art history of Italy because it portrays the triumphs and importance that Mussolini had in the city of Rome, and how he is permanently etched in Italian history because of his successes. Many artists have noted that “the changing perspectives of flight constitute an absolutely new reality that has nothing in common with the reality traditionally constitutes by

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Yap 3 terrestrial perspective” (thearthistory.org). Aero painting was a new art style that can be seen as contradicting to the art back then because many artists were so focused on realism and portraying art in real time, from portraits to landscapes, many artists were astounded with Ambrosi’s work because of the combination of “realistic landscapes and a dynamic and abstract compositions” (thearthistory.org). Not only was the painting complex, it also differed from many of the time period because of the new age of mechanics and industrial work, thus opening doors for other artists to become inspired and bring new meaning to pieces then.

To conclude, The Aeroritratto di Mussolini aviatore (aerial portrait of Mussolini) (1930) was a remarkable piece of art that includes complexity and inspiration from multiple fields of art, combined with representation of a new age including industrial and mechanical senses embedded with tons of historical value. It was not difficult in choosing this piece not only for its visual appeal, but allowing myself to open a door into history and learn the art forms and meaning that come with this painting.

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Yap 4

Work Cited Fichner-Rathus, Lois. Understanding Art. Cengage Learning, 2019.

Futurism - Top Paintings and Sculptures. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.theartstory.org/movement/futurism/artworks/ Italian Futurism 1909-1944 Reconstructing the Universe. (2014). Retrieved May 10, 2020, from http://exhibitions.guggenheim.org/futurism/

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