Guttuso's Realism vs Forma 1 Abstraction in Postwar Rome

In 1947, Renato Guttuso's studio in Via Margutta, Rome, became a hub for artists debating how to renew art after World War II. This led to the formation of Forma 1, a group of young artists—Carla Accardi, Pietro Consagra, Piero Dorazio, Mino Guerrini, Achille Perilli, Ugo Attardi, Antonio Sanfilippo, and Giulio Turcato—who declared themselves Marxist but rejected socialist realism, advocating for abstraction and freedom. Guttuso, however, chose social realism, a readable, communicative style. His decision was influenced by a personal break with Topazia Alliata, partly due to social class differences, and his own drive for societal recognition. Critic Giulio Carlo Argan defended abstraction as revolutionary. Forma 1 lasted from 1947 to 1951, leaving a lasting impact despite initial marginalization. Guttuso remained central to the debate by not joining the group, embodying a tension between artistic choices and personal motivations that continues to intrigue scholars nearly forty years after his death.