Pasolini's Cinematic Art: Exhibition at Fondazione Magnani-Rocca

The Fondazione Magnani-Rocca in Parma presents a focused exhibition on Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975), exploring the painterly foundations of his cinematic language. The show features costume loans from CSAC di Parma, original film posters, rare photographs, and images of artworks that inspired his scenes. Pasolini, who studied under art historian Roberto Longhi at the University of Bologna, constructed his frames like painted compositions, favoring static shots and long close-ups. His films Accattone and Mamma Roma reference Masaccio, Caravaggio, and Mantegna; La Ricotta stages Rosso Fiorentino's Deposition and Pontormo's altarpiece; The Gospel According to St. Matthew and Teorema cite Piero della Francesca and Francis Bacon; the Decameron evokes Giotto and Velázquez. The exhibition underscores Pasolini's lifelong dialogue between cinema, literature, and figurative arts, a pursuit shared by Luigi Magnani, the foundation's founder. A catalog includes essays by Stefano Roffi and Mauro Carrera, the latter describing Pasolini's work as possessing "the grace and violence of poetry." The exhibition coincides with the centenary of the poet-filmmaker's birth.