Arturo Martini Treviso 1889-Milan 1947 Choral 1934 ca. Terracotta sculpture

Arturo Martini Treviso 1889-Milan 1947 Choral 1934 ca. Terracotta sculpture Engraved signature "Martini". Donated by the artist to the journalist and literary critic Enrico Falqui (1901 – 1974), the work was modeled during the 1930s and perhaps used in 1936-37, a period in which Arturo Martini worked on designing the models (dispersed ) created for the Arco della Vittoria Competition to be placed in Piazza Fiume in Milan; competition won by Martini for the great monumental work designed with the architects Mazzoleni and Carminati, but not built (Gatalogo raisonné, Vicenza, Neri Pozza1998 n. 438). It depicts a compact group of twenty female figures in a standing position, caught in the act of singing out loud, huddled together so as to form a block which however is enlivened by the different poses of the individual figures, placed very effectively intuition on a sloping terrace which gives the scene a particular charm and unusual animation (a similar base is found in the Monaca of 1919 and in the Palinuro of 1946). In fact, the choral composition seems to allude to a theatrical scene, as happened in ancient theatre, or in any case to a public event. The solution closely resembles other compositions such as the Brigands group (262) proposed in several versions, terracotta and majolica, and the Collegiate group (Catalogue raisonné n. 267), conceived in a circular composition with a void in the centre, all works dating back to the early 1930s; finally, the unique terracotta entitled Greek Tragedy (Catalogue raisonné no. 317) also dates back to around 1932, probably connected to the present sculpture if only for the theatrical theme. In consideration of these evaluations and faced with the fact that we do not know the title assigned by the artist for the work in question here, the provisional title of: Female Choir is proposed. The present sculpture will be included in the next edition of the General Catalog of Arturo Martini's sculptures, currently under development. Nico Stringa We thank Prof. Nico Stringa for confirming the authenticity and drafting the description of the work 41x28x19 cm - in glass case 35x48x25 cm