Carlo Mattioli biography

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 subsequently dedicated himself to painting, inspired by the experience of artists such as Giorgio Morandi.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Carlo Mattioli stood out for his his suggestive figurative tonalism. During this period, he develops culturally and demonstrates an interest in literature and poetry, establishing a deep bond 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 sixties, Carlo Mattioli reached success and establishes itself among the general public. His production 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 the Nudi, the Nature Morte and the Studies on Caravaggio's Basket, obtaining important recognitions such as the Premio del Fiorino in Florence in 1964 and appointed her as a member of prestigious academies.
In 1970, her first anthological exhibition was organized in Parma, which was subsequently also exhibited in Carrara. In the Seventies, he continued to explore new forms of expression, focusing on the representation of nature and emotions. He created paintings of beaches, fields of poppies, lavender and brooms, experimenting with a vast range of painting techniques and using different colors to convey suggestive atmospheres.
In the 1980s, while many Italian artists focus on social issues, Carlo Mattioli's poetics remains faithful to his personal vision of the world. His paintings express the amazement at the beauty of nature and the existential restlessness of the human being . In this period, he created a surprising series of paintings inspired by the Aigues Mortes, which explored the border between organic and inorganic, life and death. He also begins to paint tender portraits of his niece Anna, creating works that seem like a fairy tale invented to involve the little girl in discovering the world.
Also in this period, his works are enriched with new subjects such as the Green Woods, the Walls and the Pine Forests. 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 work becomes a sort of alchemical transmutation, in which old and new forms interpenetrate, respecting their mutual essences. Over the course of his career, Carlo Mattioli received numerous awards and his work 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 to the authenticity of his works and promote knowledge of them. His artistic production has consecrated him as one of the most relevant figures of post-war Italian figurative art.