Massimo Campigli

Galerie Otto Stangl, Munich

Munich, Galerie Otto Stangl, Campigli, 1959, no. 8
Florence, Palazzo Strozzi, Mostra Mercato Nazionale d'Arte Contemporanea, 1963 (possibly)

This work is in very good condition. The canvas is wax lined. The color are bright and fresh, and the surface retains a very rich impasto. Under UV light some original pigments fluoresce darkly however no inpainting is apparent.
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During a journey to Florence in 1928, Campigli became profoundly influenced by Etruscan art. In its forms, as well as in the work of the ancient Egyptians, Campigli found an archaic vocabulary of expression that permitted him to marry the pictorial language of the avant-garde with a figurative approach to painting. The influence of past cultures is beautifully presented in Festa Notturna: its flat, frontal depiction of the figures is reminiscent of Byzantine mosaics and frescoes. The earthy palette of subdued tones of ochre, orange and brown, coupled with a roughed surface, further evoke the technique of fresco painting. On the other hand, the use of registers, clearly separating the figures into separate planes, is derived from Egyptian wall painting, which Campigli admired for its precisely delineated, geometrical style, and for its conceptual approach to reality.

A striking feature of the present painting is that its numerous figures, tightly packed within the picture frame, are all female. Although depicting a segment of contemporary urban life, Campigli was not interested in showing a truthful image of an ordinary gathering. Instead, he painted a world of his imagination, populated by women, rather than the reality that surrounded him. According to the painter’s own memoirs, his childhood was spent at his grandmother’s house, entirely in the company of women. He no doubt recreated the environment of his early years in his paintings, in which man plays no part. Rather than representing a cross-section of contemporary population, his figures acquire an iconic quality, resembling monarchs and deities from Byzantine frescoes, giving them a timeless, infinite dimension.