Giorgio Morandi and the "REturn to Order": from Pittura Metafisica to Regionalism, 1917-1928

Abstract

This article analyzes Giorgio Morandi’s works and trajectory with regard to his participation in both the Italian Metaphysical School and the regional group of Strapaese. His self-portraits and still lifes show that Morandi’s articulation of a metaphysical aesthetic engaged with the movement’s self-representational strategies. Morandi emulated de Chirico’s self-portraits and use of mannequins, promoting himself as a metaphysical artist and highlighting his own intellect. In 1920, in response to Italy’s nationalism, Morandi shifted towards the art of Piero della Francesca, Cézanne and Soffici. This led the artist even-tually to create visions of rural Italy, which allowed him to enter the regionalist movement of Strapaese, whose critics embraced him due to his return to tradition. While this shift in style has been interpreted in formal terms, I argue that by abandoning the Metaphysical School, Morandi participated in the cultural and political “return to order” prevalent in Europe after World War I.