Personaggio 1963

Enrico Baj made this mixed media artwork called “Personaggio,” or “Figure,” in Italy, though the date remains unknown. The composition suggests a portrait or head, but the face is assembled from an eclectic range of materials including paint, fabric, buttons, and trim. During and after World War II, European artists began to question the role of art in representing the horrors of war, and many rejected traditional artistic practices. Baj’s assemblage work participates in this artistic turn, as he adopts a bold, experimental style. Baj critiques the establishment through the creation of grotesque figures that serve to mock the powerful elite. His style is evocative of the kinds of subversive avant-garde art, often Dadaist or Surrealist, that arose in Europe after the first world war. To better understand Baj's place within the history of postwar art, you might consider exploring primary source documents, such as manifestos and critical essays that reflect the debates around artistic representation at this time.