Lot Essay
Marini's art evolved in conjunction with Italy's turbulent path through the 20th Century, but while much of his work became steeped in anxiety after the events of the Second World War, he continued to assert a sense of faith in the redeeming qualities of humanity through the depiction of female nudes and theatrical characters, which he has vigorously expressed in the robust figures of Luci di teatro. Marini pursued specific themes through endless variations, and the forms in Luci di teatro share the stylistic features of his both his dancers and Pomona sculptures, developing his subject of the curative power of the mother goddess, an archetypal symbol of fertility and hope.
Marini's deep-seated humanist values drove him to retain the figure as a central concern in his art, as he believed its symbolic value was universal and spoke to all mankind. He was profoundly influenced by the early Hellenic civilizations of the Mediterranean, and felt strongly that his sustained focus on the human form was a natural result of the pervading influence of his forebears. Marini consistently aligned his practice with the primitive life forces and symbols of the ancient world, and proclaimed to himself, 'I am an Etruscan' (Marini, quoted in Giorgio and Guido Guastalla ed., Marino Marini: Dipinti inediti 1950-1965, intr. Guido Guastalla, Livorno, 1979, p.7). This connection to the past was firmly rooted in the traditions that moulded the artist's youth - his hometown of Pistoia is a centre of Etruscan heritage, surrounded by the relics of their once dominant culture. Channelling the spirit of the ancients in his art, Marini abandoned contemporary over-sophistication to instead express the modern human condition in a poetic, primitive aesthetic. Nowhere is this more evident than in the classical repose of the voluminous caryatid forms in Luci di teatro, described in energetically applied earth tones similar to those used in frescoes and tomb paintings of antique times.
Although perhaps most widely recognised for his sculpture, painting was an essential practice to Marini, allowing him the freedom to combine his ideas onto one picture plane and explore new directions through the interplay of light and colour, as the artist explained; 'Painting is born like a spontaneous need and thrives on the appetite for colour. There is no sculpture if you first don't go through this spiritual state' (Marino Marini, 'Thoughts of Marino Marini', pp.5-11, G. di San Lazzaro, ed., Homage to Marino Marini, New York, n.d., p.6). In Luci di teatro, Marini fuses the themes of the nude and the drama of the theatre, uniting symbols of his cultural heritage with a modern, expressive handling of paint. The two curvaceous females of the painting differ in rhythm, form and mass, one facing outwards, the other with her back turned as if caught in a dance. The nude to the right of the composition is dramatically lit and predominantly cast in shadow. Heavy, and weighted to the earth, she stands in contraposto with her arms raised to her face and neck, seemingly in an expression of anguish, whilst the brightly clothed figure at her side reaches upwards in a graceful motion of exultation. Like the opposing tragic and comedic masks of ancient Greek theatre, the conflicting mood and posture of the pair creates a duality that characterizes the human struggle to overcome darkness and suffering and expresses Marini's hope of healing and rebirth from great despair.
Marini's deep-seated humanist values drove him to retain the figure as a central concern in his art, as he believed its symbolic value was universal and spoke to all mankind. He was profoundly influenced by the early Hellenic civilizations of the Mediterranean, and felt strongly that his sustained focus on the human form was a natural result of the pervading influence of his forebears. Marini consistently aligned his practice with the primitive life forces and symbols of the ancient world, and proclaimed to himself, 'I am an Etruscan' (Marini, quoted in Giorgio and Guido Guastalla ed., Marino Marini: Dipinti inediti 1950-1965, intr. Guido Guastalla, Livorno, 1979, p.7). This connection to the past was firmly rooted in the traditions that moulded the artist's youth - his hometown of Pistoia is a centre of Etruscan heritage, surrounded by the relics of their once dominant culture. Channelling the spirit of the ancients in his art, Marini abandoned contemporary over-sophistication to instead express the modern human condition in a poetic, primitive aesthetic. Nowhere is this more evident than in the classical repose of the voluminous caryatid forms in Luci di teatro, described in energetically applied earth tones similar to those used in frescoes and tomb paintings of antique times.
Although perhaps most widely recognised for his sculpture, painting was an essential practice to Marini, allowing him the freedom to combine his ideas onto one picture plane and explore new directions through the interplay of light and colour, as the artist explained; 'Painting is born like a spontaneous need and thrives on the appetite for colour. There is no sculpture if you first don't go through this spiritual state' (Marino Marini, 'Thoughts of Marino Marini', pp.5-11, G. di San Lazzaro, ed., Homage to Marino Marini, New York, n.d., p.6). In Luci di teatro, Marini fuses the themes of the nude and the drama of the theatre, uniting symbols of his cultural heritage with a modern, expressive handling of paint. The two curvaceous females of the painting differ in rhythm, form and mass, one facing outwards, the other with her back turned as if caught in a dance. The nude to the right of the composition is dramatically lit and predominantly cast in shadow. Heavy, and weighted to the earth, she stands in contraposto with her arms raised to her face and neck, seemingly in an expression of anguish, whilst the brightly clothed figure at her side reaches upwards in a graceful motion of exultation. Like the opposing tragic and comedic masks of ancient Greek theatre, the conflicting mood and posture of the pair creates a duality that characterizes the human struggle to overcome darkness and suffering and expresses Marini's hope of healing and rebirth from great despair.