Giorgio Morandi, ardengo soffici and strapaese: Modern italian landscapes between the wars.

Resumen

This article analyzes Giorgio Morandi’s artistic production during the interwar period in Italy, focusing on his relationship with Ardengo Soffici and the cultural movement Strapaese within the context of the Fascist regime. Through a historical-critical approach, the author challenges the traditional image of Morandi as an isolated and apolitical artist, arguing instead that his work actively participated in a cultural project that intertwined aesthetics and power. The study examines how the ruralism promoted by Strapaese, rooted in Soffici’s concept of toscanità, allowed Morandi’s landscapes and still lifes to be embedded within a nationalist and Fascist discourse without relying on explicit regime iconography. The article also explores Morandi’s involvement in magazines, exhibitions, and institutional networks that facilitated his professional advancement under Fascism. Although Morandi’s work appears formally distant from official propaganda, the analysis demonstrates that his integration into the Fascist cultural field was both strategic and crucial to his artistic success. Ultimately, the article argues that the relationship between Morandi, Soffici, and Strapaese is essential for understanding the complex interplay between modernity, tradition, aesthetics, and politics in twentieth-century Italian art.