Renato Guttuso

Born: Bagheria, Sicily, 1912
Died: Rome, Italy, 1987

Renato Guttuso is twentieth century Italy’s foremost realist painter. He came to Rome in 1937 and had his first solo exhibition there in 1938. Forced to flee Rome in 1940 due to World War II he joined the underground Italian resistance. As a result of this experience he began to concentrate on moral and political issues in his art. While he often painted the Italian landscape, especially the Sicilian Sea and the Gulf of Palermo, his worldwide recognition is based on his artistic protests against fascism and oppression. Picasso’s expressive drawings and paintings were his primary influence throughout his career. Like Picasso Guttuso employed strong expressive calligraphy and highly saturated colors. With these artistic tools he produced a dramatic and energetic realism which reflected the lives of Italy’s blue collar workers including even the Sicilian Mafia. Following World War II he also produced a number of large-scale murals of contemporary events. These served as visual manifestos for his political concerns. Selected Literature: Del Guercio, Antonio. La Spiaggia di Renato Guttuso Rosi, Mino. Prefazione a Renato Guttuso. Richardson, John and Jouffroy, Allain. Renato Guttuso: Watercolors and Drawings, April-May 1983. Comitato olimpico nazionale italiano. Renato Guttuso. Morosini, Duilio. Renato Guttuso.

 

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