Massimo Campigli

During a journey to Florence in 1928, Campigli became profoundly influenced by Etruscan art. In its forms, as well as in the work of the ancient Egyptians, Campigli found an archaic vocabulary of expression that permitted him to marry the pictorial language of the avant-garde with a figurative approach to painting. The influence of past cultures is beautifully presented in Il Metro: its flat, frontal depiction of the figures is reminiscent of Byzantine mosaics and frescos. The earthy palette of subdued tones of ochre, orange and brown, further evokes the technique of fresco painting. On the other hand, the use of registers, clearly separating the figures into three separate planes, is derived from Egyptian wall painting, which Campigli admired for its precisely delineated, geometrical style, and for its conceptual approach to reality.

A striking feature of the present painting is that its numerous figures, tightly packed within the picture frame, are all female. Although depicting a segment of contemporary urban life, Campigli was not interested in showing a truthful image of an ordinary city scene. Instead, he painted a world of his imagination, populated by women, rather than the reality that surrounded him. According to the painter’s own memoirs, his childhood was spent at his grandmother’s house, entirely in the company of women. He no doubt recreated the environment of his early years in his paintings, in which man plays no part. Rather than representing a cross-section of contemporary population, his figures acquire an iconic quality, resembling monarchs and deities from Byzantine frescos, giving them a timeless, infinite dimension.