Antonio Corpora

CORPORA ANTONIO

Antonio Corpora was born in Tunis on August 15, 1909. Here he attended the school of Fine Arts under the guidance of Armand Vergeaud. In 1930 the artist now twenty-two years old and emulate his old master went to Florence. In 1931 he settled in Paris where he met Alberto Giacometti and Sergio Signori. He travels more and more frequently between Italy and Tunisia, where he co-founded the group "Les quatres" ("The Four") in 1934. The contacts with famous Italian artists, including the group that revolves around the Galleria del Milione in Milan, allow him to publish some manuscripts. In the '30s works with an abstract style, based on geometric shapes and stripes of color. At the end of the '30s, for a short period the artist is the holder of the chair of scenography in the heart of Bologna. During the Second World War he leaves Italy to live mainly in Tunis. He returns in 1945 and in Rome he founds the group "Neocubista" together with Guttuso, Fazzini and other artists. His works of this period are inspired by Braque and Matisse. Two years later, Corpora adheres to the "Fronte Nuovo delle Arti" which represents above all social claims. At the end of the '40s he moves away more and more from the cubistic expressions to approach a free language of forms that in the '50s will bring him to expressionism. In the '60s his works assume an informal expression, however the last geometric shapes of his paintings dissolve only at the beginning of the '70s. Since 1975 Corpora applies the technique of dripping on linen canvases roughened with chalk and sand, which covers with bright colors. After some experiments, in the '90s he returned to compositions based on strips of color. Between 1948 and 1956 he exhibited at the Venice Biennale for four times, receiving several awards. In 1968 he was awarded another prize at the Rome Biennale. In 2003 he received the President of the Republic Award and is appointed Academic of San Luca. Antonio Corpora died in Rome on September 6, 2004.