Ugo Attardi - Christopher Columbus

The work depicts the navigator Christopher Columbus, using a formally figurative language that nevertheless presents a certain degree of abstraction. In the history of art, a clear distinction can often be made between figurative and abstract stylistic currents. However, when an artist's goal is to depict an object that resonates with phenomenal reality but is also charged with hidden and symbolic meaning, this boundary can become blurred. Symbolism and Expressionism are emblematic stylistic currents in their conceptual interpretation of reality, with an iconic rendering of images and a symbolic interpretation in the use of color.

This sculpture, in particular, is particularly interesting for appreciating artist Ugo Attardi's study of the human figure. For Attardi, the basis remains the reality of a concrete and tangible representation, immediately relatable to the subject. Yet the artist, at the same time, feels the need to transcend mere phenomenal reality and integrate it with his own subjectivity. For this reason, the figure of Columbus undergoes anti-naturalistic deformations, which nevertheless play a fundamental role in its expressiveness. We can see how the figure is modeled as if made of a malleable or fluid substance. In this way, the artist identifies the subject's interactions with the space surrounding it in a dynamic representation of the continuity between figure and environment. All this demonstrates Attardi's attention to Futurist poetics, albeit toned down in his own personal reworking.

Ugo Attardi, born in Sori in 1923 and died in Rome in 2006, was a painter and sculptor. After beginning his career as an abstract artist, joining the Forma 1 group, in the 1950s he turned to Expressionism, drawing inspiration from Bacon and Grosz. He participated in several editions of the Venice Biennale and the Rome Quadrennial and exhibited his work in numerous solo and group shows in Italy and abroad.

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.