Cleto Capponi - The Swallows

The sculpture by Cleto Capponi presented here is a classic symbol of the Futurist movement. The work’s descriptive title, “The Swallows,” depicts a flock of swallows flying and soaring high in the sky. We can immediately see how the few elements present serve to represent the intrinsic dynamism of the artistic movement to which Capponi draws. The representation has abstract tendencies, and the subject seems to take a backseat. In fact, the flight of the swallows with this concentric movement becomes the focal point of the painting. Futurism, an avant-garde movement, was founded in 1909 by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, with the first of the “manifestos” published in the French magazine Le Figaro in the same year. The principles on which this movement is based are: the abolition of all traditional forms of expression, the creation of a culture based on machines, and a dynamism and speed that should pervade modern life. All this was embraced by numerous artists who, through painting, sought to capture progress and movement.

The style shown here reveals certain peculiarities that highlight the artist’s characteristics. Capponi chose ceramics as a medium for his painting and sculpture, primarily as a mere support that provides a smooth, flawless texture to the touch, and for a second purpose: to convey, through its shine, a sense of positivity and dynamism, which are fundamental characteristics of the Futurist movement. The choice of this medium also reflects the artist’s plastic and manual skills, with the aim of creating a dialogue between the subject and the surrounding world. The viewer can rediscover the purity and simplicity from which the Futurist discourse arises. The color palette we can admire is similar to that of other works by the artist, such as the sculpture “Speed.” There are only five colors: light blue, blue, white, black, and light brown. Details are kept to a minimum so as not to distract the viewer from the dynamism the artist seeks to convey.

Cleto Capponi was born in Ascoli Piceno in 1912. In 1922, at the age of 10, he had the opportunity to visit the “First Futurist Exhibition within the Provincial Art Exhibition,” curated by Ivo Pannaggi at the Palazzo del Convitto Nazionale in Macerata. Cleto Capponi was fascinated by Futurist aesthetics; works by Balla, Boccioni, Depero, Sironi, and Pannaggi himself were on display, as was Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. The young artist gained notoriety in 1934 when, for a publication of the Messaggero, Cleto Capponi created a caricatured portrait of the boxer Primo Carnera. From that point on, he received important commissions for the Messaggero and Popolo d’Italia. Furthermore, he held important public commissions, including the “Monument to the Fisherman” in 1978 in San Benedetto del Tronto, and in 1985, he proposed the Monument to the Sail in Grottammare. During his life, he also taught art at the State Middle School “G. Leopardi” in Grottammare. He died in 2000.

The transaction takes place with maximum security for both the seller and the buyer. We take care of the conformity (provenance, authenticity, state of conservation) of the work and handle the shipping.
Returns are possible no later than 14 days after receiving the order.