Manlio Rho
Encyclopedia
Manlio Rho was a painter born in Como
, Italy
. He is considered one of the most important abstract
artists in Italy.
and Kazimir Malevich
. Together with the architects Giuseppe Terragni
, Alberto Sartoris and the painter Mario Radice
, he created the astrattisti comaschi, a group of artists that later included Aldo Galli, Carla Prina and Carla Badiali. This event is widely regarded by critics as a pivotal moment in the history of Italian art of the 20th century.
Having worked initially in a figurative manner, he began abstract works in the early 1930s, showing a consistent preference for colour and the harmony of shapes.
The art of Rho is marked by a balance between strict geometry, similar to the "cold" abstractism of Russian suprematism
, and a warmth considered typically North Italian. His works comprise flat geometric shapes glowing with lukewarm colours in a palette of greens, browns and orange.
In 1940 he signed the futurist manifesto Futuristi Primordiali Antonio Sant'Elia.
art gallery Il Milione. His works have been shown at nine separate Venice Biennale
from 1940 to 1986, and in numerous exhibitions around the world. In 2007 some of his works were included in two large exhibitions held in Milan's Royal Palace: Camera con vista and Kandinskji and Italian Abstract Art.
Rho's works can be found in the permanent collections of many modern art museums, including Milan
, Trento
and Rovereto, Trieste
and Rome
.
Como
Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy.It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He is considered one of the most important abstract
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
artists in Italy.
Life and work
In the late 1920s Manlio Rho was deeply involved in Como's engagement with the European abstract movement led by Wassily KandinskyWassily Kandinsky
Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky was an influential Russian painter and art theorist. He is credited with painting the first purely-abstract works. Born in Moscow, Kandinsky spent his childhood in Odessa. He enrolled at the University of Moscow, studying law and economics...
and Kazimir Malevich
Kazimir Malevich
Kazimir Severinovich Malevich was a Russian painter and art theoretician, born of ethnic Polish parents. He was a pioneer of geometric abstract art and the originator of the Avant-garde Suprematist movement.-Early life:...
. Together with the architects Giuseppe Terragni
Giuseppe Terragni
Giuseppe Terragni was an Italian architect who worked primarily under the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini and pioneered the Italian modern movement under the rubric of Rationalism...
, Alberto Sartoris and the painter Mario Radice
Mario Radice
Mario Radice was an Italian painter born in Como. He is considered to be an important Italian abstract artist.-Life and work:...
, he created the astrattisti comaschi, a group of artists that later included Aldo Galli, Carla Prina and Carla Badiali. This event is widely regarded by critics as a pivotal moment in the history of Italian art of the 20th century.
Having worked initially in a figurative manner, he began abstract works in the early 1930s, showing a consistent preference for colour and the harmony of shapes.
The art of Rho is marked by a balance between strict geometry, similar to the "cold" abstractism of Russian suprematism
Suprematism
Suprematism was an art movement focused on fundamental geometric forms which formed in Russia in 1915-1916. It was not until later that suprematism received conventional museum preparations...
, and a warmth considered typically North Italian. His works comprise flat geometric shapes glowing with lukewarm colours in a palette of greens, browns and orange.
In 1940 he signed the futurist manifesto Futuristi Primordiali Antonio Sant'Elia.
Shows
In 1935 he had his first important exhibition in the MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
art gallery Il Milione. His works have been shown at nine separate Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
from 1940 to 1986, and in numerous exhibitions around the world. In 2007 some of his works were included in two large exhibitions held in Milan's Royal Palace: Camera con vista and Kandinskji and Italian Abstract Art.
Rho's works can be found in the permanent collections of many modern art museums, including Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Trento
Trento
Trento is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. It is the capital of Trentino...
and Rovereto, Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
External links
Source
- This article draws from the corresponding article in the Italian Wikipedia.