Italo Valenti

Italo Valenti was born in Milan in April 1912 and died in Ascona in September 1995. His compositions are simple and consist of a few objects or characters with stylized, elementary forms that deviate from conventions. Valenti's fairy-tale repertoire, influenced by the neoromantic atmosphere embraced by the young painter thanks to his association with Birolli and his peers, is also accompanied by an intense exploration of color, as demonstrated in works such as Gabbiani (Seagulls) in the Iannaccone collection and in other paintings from 1939. The color shapes the forms through a deliberately uncertain brushstroke, achieving vibrations that provide the painter with a personal style, acknowledged even by critics who initially expressed some doubts about his talent. The dreamlike and childlike reality of the paintings from the 1930s gives way in the following decade to a bitter reflection on the madness of the times, as seen in Nudo (Nude) from 1944. In this case, Valenti depicts a solitary female figure enclosed in a stark and unwelcoming environment, evoking the prevalence of brothels during the war years. The woman’s demeanor is neither provocative nor sensual, and her body lacks feminine features. Her subdued and withdrawn posture renders her defenseless and helpless.