“Untitled” by Renato Guttuso.

• Lithograph
• Dimensions: 50x70 cm
• Print run: artist's proof

Guttuso was a leading figure of a Neorealism that had undergone strong influences—from the cultural fervor of 19th-century France to Picasso's Cubism. Guttuso was involved in the social movement, and he was impetuous, passionate, and bad-tempered. He was one of the first great painters of the Italian "Novecento."

As a child, Guttuso showed an inclination for painting. At the age of 13, he painted his first landscapes, copies of Sicilian scenes and works by adult contemporaries of his. In 1928, at the age of 17, he participated in his first collective show in Palermo. Following his formal education, he lived in Milan for 3 years, and then in 1931 he moved to Rome and exhibited at the I Quadrennial—here he first met anti-"Novecento" painters from the Roman school. 

Guttuso was a key figure in the Italian Neorealism of the second half of the 20th century. He stood out and was recognizable for his social themes and even more so for the subjects inspired by his native land, Sicily. He has done numerous still lifes, including the interiors of homes with baskets and flasks, fruit, garlic, cactus, colored draperies: everything speaks of a land full of serious contradictions, but also rich in warm colors and emotions.