Carlo Carra's Metaphisical Painting : the works riproduced in Valori Plastici

Abstract

The art magazine Valori Plastici, issued from 1918 to 1921, has decisive importance in Italian art between the Wars. It stimulated the tendency of "return to order" to appear as Novecento movement. Carlo Carra wrote many articles for the magazine and his metaphisical works were often reproduced in it. His discourse emphasizing the "<<italian principle>>" shows some parallelism with M. Sarfatti's. That "<<principle>>", however, as far as it means the ability of artists who discover the essences of objects and construct them into works, had been manifested in 1916 in his writings about Giotto and Uccello revalued from modern point of view. But in Valori Plastici years he tried to justify himself in the name of his race. The word "metaphisical" seems to be a coupler of these attitudes. On the other hand, the fact that his metaphisical works riproduced in Valori Plastici were rivisioned possibly not so much later is a proof of his intention to make his own painting in harmony with his discourse. Since the revision has been done toward some kind of classisism.