Mario Radice

Among the protagonists of Italian abstract art, Mario Radice (Como, 1898–1987) contributed to transforming painting into an autonomous language of geometric relationships, rhythms and colors. His story is inseparable from the cultural laboratory that developed in Como in the 1930s, when artists and architects were looking for a new relationship between form and space. In this environment Radice developed research that does not end in geometry: behind the rigor of the compositions one recognizes a personal chromatic sensitivity and the desire to create a dialogue between painting, architecture and modern life.

Como abstract art and dialogue with architecture

Trained largely through study and direct practice, Radice went through figurative experiences before moving decisively towards non-figuration. The comparison with Manlio Rho and above all with the architect Giuseppe Terragni had a decisive role: not because painting had to limit itself to decorating buildings, but because both languages could share an idea of order, proportion and modernity. Como thus became one of the most vital centers of early Italian abstraction, in dialogue with the Galleria del Milione in Milan and with European research into constructivism and concrete art.

The link with rationalist architecture helps to understand why, for Radice, composition was not a simple exercise in geometry. A painted surface can change the perception of an environment, suggest a direction or introduce a counterpoint to the lines of the building. Painting retains its autonomy, but is thought of in relation to the body of the observer and the space that surrounds it. This attention makes preparatory studies particularly interesting: the measurement of an element and its relationship with the margins are not secondary details, but rather decisions that determine the result.

In the works of this period, triangles, rectangles, segments and chromatic surfaces do not refer to recognizable objects. They are elements that acquire meaning through their mutual arrangement. An inclined plane can give movement to the composition, while a more concentrated area of color stabilizes its rhythm. Geometry, rather than being a repeated formula, becomes a tool for exploring the possibilities of vision.

The most famous collaboration is that for the Casa del Fascio in Como, designed by Terragni, where Radice created abstract pictorial interventions in the 1930s. The historical context of the building belongs to fascist Italy and must be recognized without misunderstanding; on an artistic level, the experience constitutes a significant episode in the relationship between mural painting and rationalist architecture. Radice also participated in the theoretical debate on abstraction, helping to define a language that still encountered strong resistance in Italy.

The case of the Casa del Fascio is also an opportunity to distinguish the historical value of an artistic intervention from the political context in which it was commissioned. The relationships between avant-gardes and institutions in Italy in the 1930s were complex and cannot be reduced to a coincidence between formal modernity and ideological orientation. Observing Radice's works therefore means considering both their visual innovation and the concrete conditions of their creation. The mural projects demonstrate an idea of painting capable of dealing with dimensions, light and paths that are very different from those of the easel painting.

Compositions, color and variations of language

Root production is not a uniform succession of grids. The compositions can alternate static balances and dynamic structures, attenuated tones and more decisive contrasts. The shapes sometimes seem to overlap, sometimes to fit together like parts of a visual organism. Their relationship with the background is essential: even the apparently empty space participates in the construction of the image, allowing the surfaces to advance, retreat or enter into tension.

After the war Radice continued to work on abstraction, broadening the chromatic register and developing more dynamic solutions. His activity also includes decoration projects, mosaics, studies and drawings that demonstrate attention to the relationship between image and environment. This continuity must not hide the complexity of the path: the artist maintained figurative interests alongside abstract experiments, without necessarily considering the two incompatible fields.

The subsequent evolution shows how important it was for the artist to be able to vary a system without abandoning its principles. The same relationship between planes can be rethought through new colours; a symmetrical balance can transform into a freer sequence. Even the comparison between works from different periods allows us to recognize a constant interest in the tension between order and movement. It is therefore not necessary to look for a hidden subject in the compositions: their content lies in the quality of visual relationships, in the way in which the gaze perceives weight, interval, direction and rhythm.

Drawings, works on paper and graphics

The works on paper allow us to approach the construction of his compositions. In drawings and design studies, the transition from a line to a surface, the choice of proportions and the distribution of color become particularly legible. Even a small work can contain the same search for balance present in an intervention on an architectural scale.

In drawing, the research can appear more immediate because the line reveals the path of compositional thought. In tempera and mixed techniques, however, the color enters directly into the construction of the surfaces. This distinction is also useful for collecting: a unique work on paper is not a minor version of a painting, but can represent an autonomous solution. If the sheet is connected to an architectural project, its function must be documented through sources and comparisons, avoiding automatically attributing the character of a preparatory study to each geometric composition.

When cataloging an example, however, it is necessary to distinguish original drawing, tempera, mixed media, art print and editorial reproduction. Not all works on paper are engravings and it is not correct to attribute a specific graphic technique based on appearance alone. For a collector, the description of the support, the presence of signature or inscriptions, the actual measurements and any bibliographical references are important. Radice's strength remains in its ability to bring geometric form to life: an art in which precision does not eliminate emotion, but offers it a structure.