Mario Sironi's Political Illustrations on View in Lucca

A new exhibition in Lucca focuses on Mario Sironi's illustrations for the Fascist newspaper Il Popolo d'Italia, revealing his deep political engagement. Sironi (Sassari, 1885–1961), known as a Futurist and Novecento painter, was also a sharp cartoonist during the Fascist era. He volunteered in WWI, felt betrayed by the "mutilated victory," and joined Mussolini's movement. His work for Il Popolo d'Italia began after his contributions to the military propaganda magazine Il Montello in 1918. The show highlights Sironi's sober, sculptural style inspired by German Expressionist cinema and Goya, using black-and-white ink or pencil to create immediate, biting images without squadrist violence. His illustrations comment on historical moments: Mussolini's 1922 government, regime rallies, economic successes, and contradictions of the USSR and USA. The exhibition argues that Sironi's honest intellectual faith in Fascism and his critiques of leftist disunity and neglect of war veterans contributed to Mussolini's rise. Through these images, visitors can reconstruct a difficult period leading to dictatorship.