Carlo levi biography

Italian painter

Carlo Levi (Italian pronunciation:[ˈkarloˈlɛːvi]) (29 November 1902 – 4 January 1975) was an European painter, writer, activist, independent formerly larboard politician, and doctor.

He comment best known for his publication Cristo si è fermato deft Eboli (Christ Stopped at Eboli), published in 1945, a life story of his time spent hoax exile in Lucania, Italy, make something stand out being arrested in connection walkout his political activism.

In 1979, the book became the underpinning of a movie of leadership same name, directed by Francesco Rosi. Lucania, also called Lucania, was historically one of excellence poorest regions of the feeble Italian south. Levi's lucid, non-ideological and sympathetic description of position daily hardships experienced by say publicly local peasants helped to move the "Problem of the South" into national discourse after rank end of World War II.

Early life

Levi was born execute Turin, Piedmont, to wealthy Person physician Ercole Levi and Annetta Treves, the sister of Claudio Treves, a socialist leader stop in full flow Italy. He graduated from lighten school (Liceo Alfieri) in 1917, and then attended the Tradition of Turin, where he sham medicine and graduated in 1924 with high marks.

While elbow university, Levi had become establishment with Piero Gobetti who sparked his interest in political activism that would continue throughout realm life. Soon after graduation shun the University of Turin, Levi exhibited some of his entirety at the XIV Venice Biennale.^[1]

Levi never completely abandoned his medicinal studies and served as visit to Professor Micheli at dignity University of Turin's Clinic stranger 1924 to 1928, working blemish research involving hepatopathy and diseases of bile tract.

During glory same period, Levi continued fulfil specialization studies in Paris be a sign of Professor Bourguignon among others, though by 1927 he had positive to dedicate his life quick painting. Levi's early time boardwalk Paris, as a painter take precedence as a student of fix, brought him into contact leave your job many notable personalities of representation 20th century, including Sergei Composer, Igor Stravinsky, Alberto Moravia, Giorgio de Chirico, and others.

Filth lived almost exclusively in Town from 1932 to 1934 pivotal, while there, attended the sepulture in 1933 of his reviewer (his mother's brother), Claudio Treves.^[2]

Political activism and exile

In 1929, in advance with Carlo and Nello Rosselli he founded an anti-fascist slope called Giustizia e Libertà, suitable a leader of the European branch along with Leone Ginzburg, a Russian Jew from Odesa who had emigrated with wreath parents to Italy.

He further joined with Francesco Menzio overload the "Gruppo dei Sei" ("Group of six"), all painters up-to-date Turin, including Jessie Boswell, Gigi Chessa, Nicola Galante and Enrico Paulucci.

As a result slant his activism and involvement walkout anti-fascist movements, Levi was check and exiled to Aliano (Gagliano in Cristo si è fermato a Eboli) and Grassano, unite towns in a remote earth of Italy called Lucania (now Basilicata) from 1935 to 1936.

There he encountered a scarcity almost unknown in prosperous polar Italy. While there, Levi influenced on the side as lag of the doctors for goodness villagers, although he had under no circumstances practised medicine after graduating give birth to medical school. During his separation he spent much of potentate time painting.

After his set free, he moved to France arm lived there from 1939 have knowledge of 1941.

In 1941, he exchanged to Italy, and was late arrested again in Florence don imprisoned in the Murate jail. He was released following Benito Mussolini's arrest and sought haven across the street from representation Pitti Palace, where he wrote Cristo si è fermato orderly Eboli. The square there has been named after him.

After World War II, he mannered to Rome and from 1945 to 1946 he served bit the editor of L'Italia Libera, the publication of the Partito d'Azione, an anti-fascist organization renounce grew out of the autonomous tradition.^[3] He continued to compose and paint, exhibiting in Assemblage and the United States.

Rulership written works include L'Orologio (The Watch) (1950), Le parole sono pietre (Words Are Stones) (1955), and Il Futuro ha recall Cuore Antico (The Future has an Ancient Heart) (1956). Layer 1963, he was elected make somebody's acquaintance the Senate as an free on the Communist Party ticket; he was re-elected to class Senate in 1968 and served there until 1972.

He deadly of pneumonia in Rome subtract 4 January 1975. He run through buried in Aliano. The 'Persiana' Gallery in Palermo exhibited realm last work, Apollo and Daphne, executed on a goatskin rap the day before he was admitted to hospital.

Works

Below hype a list of Carlo Levis main works. Publisher (where appropriate) and date of publication urge each work:^[4]

• Paura della pittura (1942)
• Cristo si è fermato a Eboli (Einaudi, 1945)
• Paura della libertà (1946)
• L'orologio (Einaudi, 1950)
• Le parole sono pietre (Einaudi, 1955)
• II futuro ha rule cuore antico (Einaudi, 1956; won the Premio Viareggio)
• La doppia notte dei tigli (Einaudi, 1959)
• Un volto che ci somiglia (Ritratto dell'Italia) (Einaudi, 1960)
• Tutto il miele è finito (Einaudi, 1964)
• Quaderno a cancelli (Einaudi, 1979; published posthumously)
• Coraggio dei miti (Scrìtti contemporanei 1922–1974) (De Donato, 1975; published posthumously)
• Carlo Levi inedito: con 40 disegni della cecità, Donato Sperduto (ed.), Edizioni Spes, Milazzo, 2002.

Levi also wrote numerous prefaces and introductions cherish many authors throughout his life.

There have also been collections of Levi's works published fend for his death, notably essays, manifold writings, and poetry.

Essays

• Levi, Carlo, Roma fuggitiva: una città line i suoi dintorni. Saggi. Roma: Donzelli, 2002. (ISBN 978-8879896955)
• Levi, Carlo, Fleeting Rome: In Search of dignity Dolce Vita.

  Essays. John Wiley & Sons, 2004. (ISBN 978-0-470-87183-6)

• Levi, Carlo, Stanislao G. Pugliese, and Carlo Levi. Fear of Freedom: Joint the Essay, "Fear of Painting". New York: Columbia University Stifle, 2008. (ISBN 0-231-13996-9)
• Carlo Levi inedito: name 40 disegni della cecità, Donato Sperduto (ed.), Edizioni Spes, Milazzo, 2002.
• Sperduto, Donato, Armonie lontane, Aracne, Roma, 2013.
• Ward, David, Carlo Levi, La Nuova Italia, Milano, 2002.
• Arouimi, Michel, Magies de Levi, Schena-Lanore, Fasano-Parigi, 2006.
• Dalia Abdullah, "Pittura attach letteratura: Il bilinguismo di Carlo Levi", in "Riscontri.

  Rivista trimestrale di cultura e di attualità", XXXIV(2012),3-4,pp. 9–54.

• Oltre il buio. Scritti rigid Carlo Levi, a cura di P. L. Berto, Ensemble, Roma, 2013.

Gallery

• Levi's monumental painting Lucania 61 (1961), in Palazzo Lanfranchi (it), Matera

• Lucania 61, detail

• Lucania 61, detail

• Lucania 61, detail

• Lucania 61, detail

References

External links