Gino Severini
Gino Severini was an influential Italian painter born on April 7, 1883, in Cortona, Italy. He emerged as a significant figure in the early twentieth century, particularly known for his association with the futurist movement and his innovative use of divisionism—a technique that applies colors as distinct patches rather than blended. After moving to Rome and subsequently to Paris, Severini became immersed in the avant-garde art scene, interacting with renowned artists like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. He joined the futurist movement in 1909, embracing themes of modernity, speed, and energy, often depicting the vibrancy of dance and nightlife in his works.
Severini produced a considerable body of art during and after World War I that reflected both the chaos of war and the dynamic movement of life. In addition to painting, he experimented with various mediums, including frescoes and mosaics, while also integrating elements of cubism and neoclassicism into his later works. Severini's art has been displayed in prestigious museums worldwide, and he authored a book detailing his experiences as an artist. He passed away on February 26, 1966, in Paris, leaving behind a rich legacy that continues to influence contemporary art.
Gino Severini
Painter
- Born: April 7, 1883
- Place of Birth: Cortona, Italy
- Died: February 26, 1966
- Place of Death: Paris, France
Education: Scuola Tecnica; Rome Fine Art Institute
Significance: Gino Severini was an Italian painter who flourished during the twentieth century. Although he dabbled in various artistic styles throughout his career, he is perhaps best known for his association with the futurist movement and for his use of divisionism in paintings.
Background
Gino Severini was born in Cortona, Italy, on April 7, 1883. His father worked as a junior court official, while his mother made dresses. Although both of Severini's parents worked, the Severini family had little money to spare.
Growing up in Cortona, Severini studied at the Scuola Tecnica. When he was fifteen, however, he was expelled from school after stealing some exam papers. In 1899, he and his mother relocated to Rome, and Severini developed a fascination with art. He began painting and enrolled in art classes at the Rome Fine Art Institute, where he studied for two years.
Around the turn of the twentieth century, Severini met Umberto Boccioni, who later developed some of the theories underlying the futurist movement. The two ventured to the studio of Italian painter Giacomo Balla, where they first learned about divisionism. Divisionism is a painting technique that involves applying "divided," rather than blended, colors to a work as separate dots or patches. It depends on the contrasts among colors for effect. Divisionism was common among impressionist painters of the late nineteenth century. Severini later employed divisionism in many of his own works.
In 1906, Severini moved to Paris, France, where he began to study impressionism and became deeply influenced by the works of French artist Georges Seurat. Severini lived near a theater, so he spent time working on set designs, and he also contributed illustrations to the journal L'Œuvre. During this period, he met many avant-garde artists who were working in Paris, including Georges Braque, Juan Gris, Amedeo Modigliani, and Pablo Picasso. These artists were known for developing new and experimental ideas in art. Their influence helped shape Severini's development as an artist.
Life's Work
In 1909, Italian artist Filippo Tommaso Marinetti invited Severini to join the futurist movement. Severini's friend Boccioni had helped shape some of the aesthetic principles that guided the futurist movement. Futurists, as the name suggests, refused to dwell on the past. Instead, they focused on modern life. They were especially drawn to the speed and energy of machinery, such as automobiles, trains, and ships, and the aggression of war. A primary goal in their work was to create the sensation of movement. Severini signed the futurist manifesto in 1910.
Although he ascribed to the underlying principles of futurism, Severini often captured the speed and movement of modern life through depictions of dancers rather than machines. Between 1910 and 1915, he produced hundreds of works that focused on dancing, nightlife, and street activities. For example, his 1912 painting Dynamic Hieroglyphic of the Bal Tabarin captures the frenzied dance floor of a Parisian dance hall. His 1913 painting Festival in Montmartre features a fragmented carousel in motion and captures the dizzying effect of the rotation of the platform as it blurs light and shadow. Both works are indicative of Severini's style at this point in his career.
In 1912, Severini assisted in assembling the first exhibition of futurist artworks at the Galerie Berheim-Jeune in Paris. The following year, exhibitions featuring only his works were held at the Marlborough Gallery in London, England, and the Der Sturm in Berlin, Germany.
During World War I (1914–1918), Severini produced some of the best futurist works of his career. Ill health made it impossible for Severini to fight in the war, but it did not prevent him from producing works that focused both on the machinery of war and the energy and motion of soldiers in battle. For example, his ink and graphite drawing Two Italian Lancers at a Gallop (1915) captures the speed and movement of two lancers on horseback, riding into battle. His Armored Train in Action (1915) features a battle-ready train car, smoke, cannon fire, and faceless soldiers with weapons.
Beginning in the 1920s, Severini began to divide his time between Paris and Rome. He also explored new techniques in his art. In some works, he blended the sharp, fragmentary shapes of cubism with futurist themes. In others, he employed neoclassical principles, such as order and simplicity. He worked with new mediums, including frescoes and mosaics. Throughout the 1920s, he painted murals in Switzerland, France, and Italy.
As his career continued, Severini displayed his art in exhibitions such as the Rome Quadrenniale, which was held every four years to help promote Italian art and artists. He wrote a book about his life, Tutta la vita di un pittore (The Life of a Painter), in 1946. The autobiographical work was later translated to English. In the 1950s, he returned to one of his favorite subjects from his early career in futurism: dancers. His 1952 oil on canvas painting, Black Swan Ballet, features both cubist and futurist elements.
Severini died on February 26, 1966, in Paris, France.
Impact
Best known for his association with futurism, Severini studied and blended various artistic styles throughout his career, including impressionism, futurism, cubism, and neoclassicism. He wrote numerous essays on art and published an autobiography about life as an artist. His work was honored with awards from respected institutions, such as the Accademia di San Luca, a centuries-old association of artists. Works by Severini are displayed in museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, London's Tate Gallery, and the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art in Amsterdam.
Personal Life
Severini married Jeanne Fort, the daughter of French poet Paul Fort, in 1913. Upon his death in 1966, Severini was buried in his birthplace, Cortona, Italy.
Bibliography
"Festival in Montmartre, 1913." Art Institute of Chicago, www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/185766. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.
"Gino Severini." Artnet, www.artnet.com/artists/gino-severini/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.
"Gino Severini." Artsy, www.artsy.net/artist/gino-severini. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.
"Gino Severini." Cortona Mia Tourism Portal, www.cortonamia.com/en/gino-severini/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.
"Gino Severini." Guggenheim, www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/gino-severini. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.
"Gino Servini: Armored Train in Action." MoMA, www.moma.org/collection/works/79418. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.
"Gino Severini 1883–1966." Tate, www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/gino-severini-1927. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.
Pritchard, Shannon N. "Gino Severini and the Symbolist Aesthetics of His Futurist Dance Imagery, 1910–1915." MA thesis, University of Georgia, 2003, getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/pritchard‗shannon‗n‗200305‗ma.pdf. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.
Ruhrberg, Karl, et al. Art of the 20th Century, edited by Ingo F. Walther, Taschen, 2000.