Giacomo Leopardi's 'L'infinito' and Its Influence on Art from Romanticism to Anish Kapoor

Niccolò Lucarelli explores the philosophical and artistic legacy of Giacomo Leopardi's poem 'L'infinito' (1818) on the occasion of its bicentenary. The article traces the concept of the infinite from ancient Greek thought (Anaximander's ápeiron) through Kant's subjective turn to its embodiment in Romantic landscape painting, notably Caspar David Friedrich's 'Wanderer above the Sea of Fog' (1818). It highlights Vittorio Corcos's 'Sogni' as a direct dialogue with Leopardi's dreamy contemplation. In the 20th century, Edward Hopper's 'Rooms by the Sea' (1951) reflects a more anxious infinite, while contemporary artists like Anish Kapoor (with 'Descension', a black vortex of water) and James Turrell (with Skyspace and Roden Crater) engage the infinite through immersive installations. The article argues that art's mission is to 'shipwreck in the immense', echoing Leopardi's final verses.