User:Jinieeun/Italy Between the Arts and Sciences

Italy Between the Arts and Sciences is a mural from 1935 created by the Italian modernist painter Mario Sironi for the Palazzo dell'Arte in Milan, Italy. Combining elements of both classical and modernist art, the mural depicts a central figure of Italy portrayed as a goddess at war, flanked by allegorical figures representing the arts and sciences– specifically, references to personifications of Astronomy, Mineralogy, Botany, Geography, Architecture, Letters, Painting and History.

The mural went through a series of changes due to being considered controversial with its association with fascism and origins of propagandistic intent. In 1950, the fresco was 'repainted', covering up all fascist symbols and leaving a more neutral image of the country. After going through a restoration project in 2015, it currently forms the backdrop to the stage in the Great Hall of Sapienza University of Rome.

Italy Between the Arts and Sciences, as the backdrop to the stage of the Great Hall of Sapienza University of RomeArtist: Mario SironiYear: 1935Dimensions: 8 metres (height) by 17 metres (width)

Detail showing the restored Fascist iconography

Background

The mural was created by Mario Sironi, an artist who played “an important role in shaping Italian modernism through his emphasis on national identity and cultural heritage” during a period of intense political and cultural change in Italy.

Combining classical traditions of Italian art with elements of modernism, this 8-meter by 17-meter mural used a combination of traditional fresco techniques and modern industrial materials such as iron and cement.

The imagery of the allegorical figures representing the arts and sciences in the mural was intended to celebrate the achievements of the fascist state and inspire pride to reinforce a message of cultural success in fascism.

Commissioned by the architect of Palazzo dell'Arte Giovanni Muzio, there was an emphasis on creating a cohesive design throughout all the elements of the architecture and artworks in the interior which included Italy Between the Arts and Sciences. The focus on cohesiveness and collaboration reflects the desire to successfully communicate and push the message of national identity.

Italian Fascism in the Arts

After World War I, people looked towards strong leadership, and in order to encourage unity through nationalism, Mussolini's fascist regime "encouraged the qualities of structure...in Italian art". By incorporating elements of culture like art in order to push for a need for change– referring to fascism, the participation of a variety of artists and architects helped promote specific political ideals and celebrate the cultural achievements of the regime to inspire national pride. By using art to create strong visual impact and express complex ideas, there is a creation of strong influence in subtly.

With a mural having the "potential accessibility for a large vie=wing public" and working as a tool with the "ability to stimulate public response", Italy Between the Arts and Sciences was one of the many means to sell the ideologies of fascism to the public.

Debate

There is much struggle regarding how contemporary Italians should negotiate and present the objects of the fascist past. Because cultural elements like the arts are so intertwined with the painful past of the Italian fascist regime, there is debate surrounding the treatment of this mural.

Despite its association with fascism leading to criticism, the mural is recognized for both its cultural and artistic merits. Those in favor of the mural believe that this artwork deserves to be appreciated on its own terms based on "history, documentary value, and objective urban and aesthetic qualities", as a symbol of the Italian tradition of mural painting and the historical efforts to create a distinctly modern Italian art and heritage. On the other hand, those who are against what the mural represents believes that "'heritagizing' fascism's monumental remains offers uncritical legitimation and the valorization of a deeply troubling past".

In 2015, Sapienza University and the Central Institute of Restoration (Istituto Centrale per il Restauro) began work to restore the mural to its original appearance. The work was completed in 2017. The project was widely celebrated in the Italian press, stating that restoration was a "means of Italy 'dealing with the Fascist past'" to ensure that this historical event can never happen again, and most commentators described any effort to cover the Fascist symbols as vandalism. Marina Righetti, a professor at Sapienza and one of the managers of the restoration, stated that any political controversy over the Fascist symbols would come from people who are "strangers to culture and do not understand the value of recovering a foundational artist of the twentieth century."