Concerto 1924

Curator: Welcome. Before us, we have Felice Casorati's 1924 oil painting, "Concerto." Editor: It feels like a carefully staged tableau vivant. There’s something cold and statuesque about these figures, despite the supposed intimacy of the scene. Almost unsettlingly calm. Curator: Casorati’s work frequently grappled with the changing roles of women in post-World War I Italy, often presenting them in these carefully constructed settings. He positions the female body within geometric constraints, echoing a renewed interest in classical ideals prevalent at the time. Think about the influence of Italian Renaissance painting on his style, specifically. Editor: Exactly, that classicism—almost a return to order after the war’s chaos. But also a stifling of female expression. They're like mannequins arranged for the male gaze, stripped of individuality and forced into this unnatural serenity. The guitar is also odd; is this an attempt to signal artistic agency, but actually reinforces the women's objectification? Curator: Their passivity is key. This wasn't about active participation but about representing ideals of beauty and order for the consuming public. Even the presence of geometric forms hints at that attempt to instill order and control into this work. This aligns directly to the artistic demands within the national narrative of the time. Editor: But what does it tell us about those who viewed it? Surely not everyone passively accepted this rigid image of femininity. How might women of the era have subverted or challenged these representations, particularly artists themselves? How do we reconcile it to a modern gaze now? Curator: Those responses are complex. One perspective is that it reveals both a collective societal hope and fear. An aspiration to reconstruct itself through a renewed vision of female purity in contrast to fears about liberated female roles during the war. Editor: So, while “Concerto” seems beautiful and serene on the surface, it engages deeper narratives around gender, power, and social control. Curator: Yes. It’s not simply a picture; it’s an assertion, one carefully crafted in the service of ideology, reflective of its time. Editor: Exactly. It provokes crucial discussions on representation and reception, extending well beyond Casorati’s canvas.