CARLO MATTIOLI WORKS

Carlo Mattioli, born in 1911 in Modena, was a renowned Italian painter. His family moved to Parma in 1925, where Carlo Mattioli spent the rest of his life. He began his artistic training at the Art Institute and later devoted himself to painting, inspired by the experience of artists like Giorgio Morandi.
In the Forties and Fifties, Carlo Mattioli distinguished himself for his suggestive figurative tonalism. During this period, he developed culturally and showed an interest in literature and poetry, establishing a deep connection with Attilio Bertolucci and Mario Luzi. He also began working as a book illustrator, producing engravings and lithographs for works by authors such as Pietro Aretino, Stendhal, Guido Cavalcanti, and Machiavelli.
In the 1960s, Carlo Mattioli achieved success and gained recognition from the general public. His work is characterized by a continuous search for new expressive forms, exploring the possibilities of pictorial language through thematic cycles. During this period, he created series of paintings such as Nudes, Still Lifes, and Studies on Caravaggio's Basket, earning significant accolades like the Fiorino Prize in Florence in 1964 and being appointed as a member of prestigious academies.
In 1970, his first anthological exhibition is organized in Parma, which is subsequently also displayed in Carrara. In the Seventies, he continues to explore new expressive forms, focusing on the representation of nature and emotions. He creates paintings of beaches, fields of poppies, lavender, and broom, experimenting with a wide range of painting techniques and using different colors to convey evocative atmospheres.
In the 1980s, while many Italian artists focused on social themes, Carlo Mattioli's poetics remained true to his personal vision of the world. His paintings express the wonder at the beauty of nature and the existential unease of the human being. During this period, he created a remarkable series of paintings inspired by the Aigues Mortes, exploring the boundary between organic and inorganic, life and death. He also began painting tender portraits of his granddaughter Anna, creating works that seem like a fairy tale invented to engage the child in the discovery of the world.
Always during this period, his works are enriched with new subjects such as the Green Forests, the Walls, and the Pinewoods. He continues to explore new painting techniques and uses unusual surfaces to apply his colors, such as pages of ancient manuscripts and old worn canvases. His artwork becomes a sort of alchemical transmutation, where old and new forms interpenetrate, respecting their mutual essences. Throughout his career, Carlo Mattioli receives numerous accolades, and his artwork continues to be the subject of anthological exhibitions in Italy and abroad.
After his death in 1994, the Carlo Mattioli Archive was created in Parma to oversee the authenticity of his works and promote their recognition. His artistic production established him as one of the most significant figures in Italian figurative art of the post-war period.