Commedia dell'Arte (Pulcinella)

Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

Best known for his futurist works, Severini painted this little mandolin-playing figure as part of a widespread revival of classical aesthetics following the upheavals of World War I. Severini strove for an "aesthetic of compass and number." He organized his composition according to the golden ratio, imitating the monuments of classical Antiquity and the Italian Renaissance. The figure is 'pulcinella'—-a stock character from the traditional commedia dell'arte theater.

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