Giorgio Morandi

Galleria del Milione, Milan

Augusto Giovanardi, Milan

Galería Theo, Madrid

Private Collection, Madrid (acquired from the above in 1979)

Thence by descent to the present owner

Turin, Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna, Capolavori di arte moderna nelle raccolte private, 1959, no. 41

Lamberto Vitali, Morandi, Dipinti, Catalogo generale, 1948-1964, Milan, 1983, vol. II, no. 807, illustrated

Morandi’s Natura morta of 1952 is a beautiful example of the artist’s investigation into the spatial relationships between everyday objects set against a neutral background. The juxtaposition of different colours and shapes gives the composition its subtle yet dynamic quality, while the purity of the white bottles resonates against the darker objects. The deliberate play between what is known and what can only be guessed at goes to the heart of Morandi’s fascination with the visible world. Increasingly he became absorbed in creating permutations of the same objects and the same leitmotifs are repeated time and again. The delicate curvature of the bottles gives the composition a sense of grace and classical beauty.

Giorgio Morandi’s meticulously composed still-lifes dominated throughout his career. Like others of his generation, he looked at the Italian art of the early Renaissance with fresh eyes, simultaneously conscious of the legacy of tradition as well as the regional and rustic aspects of the Italian cultural heritage. Equally vital was the legacy of Cézanne, whose intense focus on reality and an individual way of seeing encouraged Morandi to discover the simple geometric solidity of everyday objects. This was to become his subject, although his style moved through several very distinct phases. The objects, invariably household items such as bottles, jars, pitchers and bowls, were laid out with the calculated precision of a classical composition, yet the way in which they are painted establishes their presence as self-contained forms in space.