Drawings
Figures & Portraits
Capturing the vibrancy and rhythm of human movement was a pre-occupation of the artist, particularly in the turbulent yet exciting times she experienced during the late 1960’s and early-seventies. Her self-portraits aside, this may explain why she rarely presented motionless figures in her drawings and also gives us a hint as to why she was so prolific in the medium during this time. Most of her paintings had a religious significance to her which, as we have seen, was the principal reason why she so reluctantly parted with them yet with her drawings, and particularly her figurative works, she had no problem making them available to anyone who professed a commercial interest.
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Arte Femminile di Fantasisa
Working in the medium of ink, charcoal and coloured pencil on soft cardboard these mainly self portraits, tantalisingly set in soft abstract backgrounds, take us beyond the aesthetic and the decorative to a world of intense beauty. Occasionally, though, the question has been asked: as the artist saw herself as essentially religious in nature, was it really necessary for her to always depict herself naked? Indeed, was she not being rather exhibitionist, perhaps even sacrilegious, in doing so?
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Mammals Birds Reptiles
Bruna X saw in animals a unique innocence that set them apart from humans. Because they were not contaminated by the selfishness so much evident in human behaviour, they were simply beautiful creatures who needed to be adored and cared for. We are unsure as to what extent the artist held these views and how far she was willing to take them. Did she think that animals were superior? Did she believe they had more right to live on God’s Earth? As nobody, to our knowledge, ever asked her these questions it is difficult to judge.
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Futurismo!
With some notable exceptions (de Chirico, Modigliani and others) it could be argued, with some justification, that Futurism was the most influential Italian artform of the 20th Century. Founded in 1909, and dedicated to freeing Italy from the oppressive weight of its past, Futurism enthusiastically embraced a mythical vision of the modern world, glorifying its machinery, its speed and its new technologies. A number of important Italian artists including Carlo Carra, Umberto Boccioni and Luigi Russolo proclaimed their allegiance to a movement advocating, among other actions, the destruction of galleries, museums, libraries and academies.
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