Mattia Moreni's Primitivist and Technological Visions at Galleria il Ponte

Galleria il Ponte in Florence is presenting a solo exhibition of Mattia Moreni (Pavia, 1920 – Brisighella, 1999), spanning his career from the 1950s to the 1970s. The show highlights three stylistic phases: abstraction, expressionism, and art informel, reflecting the artist's engagement with nature and modernity. In the 1950s and 1960s, Moreni's rapid, thick brushwork evoked the dark, Nordic palette of the Po Valley, capturing the melancholy and poetry of the lowlands as depicted by writers like Guareschi, Zavattini, and Ligabue. The 1970s works are described as expressively and subtly mad and erotic, portraying the land as a generous, opulent, almost feminine entity—mother, matron, and stepmother. The exhibition also includes works from his 'Regressione della specie' (Regression of the Species) series, which combine kinetic art with iconic celebration of common objects, creating a Felliniesque chaos that annihilates the individual. Moreni anticipated the impact of excessive technology on art and society, using these works to critique modern alienation. The exhibition is curated by Niccolò Lucarelli, who wrote the accompanying text.