Mario Sironi's Alienating Suburbs: A Journey Through Urban Desolation

The article explores the suburban landscapes painted by Italian modernist Mario Sironi, drawing parallels with Lucio Dalla's 1979 song 'Anna e Marco' to illustrate the alienation and hopelessness of peripheral urban spaces. Sironi's works, such as 'Paesaggio urbano' (1922) and 'Paesaggio urbano' (1921), depict gray, schematic architectures that trap inhabitants in a state of emotional paralysis. The author, Luca Cantore D'Amore, contrasts these with historical examples of civic art like Carpaccio's 'Miracolo della Croce a Rialto' (1496) and Lorenzetti's 'Effetti e allegoria del Buono e del Cattivo Governo' (1338), arguing that Sironi's suburbs lack novelty and vitality. References to failed housing projects—Zen in Palermo, Ferro di cavallo in Perugia, and Le Vele in Scampia—reinforce the critique of modernist planning. The piece also cites architect Giampiero Bosoni and writer Lorenzo Montano to frame the suburbs as places where even love becomes difficult. Sironi emerges as a witness to Italy's post-war urban decay, capturing a sense of lost future.