Carlo Carrà’s (Quargnento, 1881 – Milan, 1966) professional artistic journey began as a decorator — first in Valenza (Alessandria), and later in Milan, where he attended the Scuola Superiore di Arte Applicata all’Industria at the Castello Sforzesco. This built upon his passion for drawing, which he had taught himself at age 12, while bedridden with a long illness.
In the years spanning the turn of the century, Carrà traveled to Paris and then London. In Paris, he worked as a decorator for several pavilions at the Exposition Universelle and discovered the works of the Impressionists at the Louvre. In London, he became familiar with the art of John Constable and William Turner.
In 1906, he enrolled at the Brera Academy, where he met Aroldo Bonzagni, Filiberto Sbardella, and Umberto Boccioni, among others. Initially, Carrà aligned himself with the Divisionist movement, which aimed to overcome the provincial nature of Italian painting at the time. This changed with the publication of the Manifesto of Futurism in 1909, which aligned more closely with his desire for artistic renewal.
Carrà collaborated with the Futurist movement for six years, producing works such as La stazione di Milano (1910–11), Luci Notturne (1910–11), Donna al balcone (1912), Trascendenze plastiche (1912), and Manifestazione interventista (1914).
In 1910, he signed both the Manifesto of the Futurist Painters and the Technical Manifesto of Futurist Painting. In 1912, he wrote the Manifesto of the Painting of Sounds, Noises, Smells. That same year, he dedicated I funerali dell’anarchico Galli —a work conceived between 1910 and 1911 — to his lover, Leda Rafanelli.
But by 1916, Carrà had distanced himself from Futurism, shifting toward Metaphysical painting. In 1915, he had begun to move away from themes of dynamism and speed, embracing a more structured relationship with reality. This transformation was catalyzed by his experiences during World War I. Like many Futurists, he initially held strong interventionist beliefs, but the brutal realities of war eventually led to a nervous breakdown and hospitalization near Ferrara.
It was in Ferrara, in 1917, that Carrà met Giorgio de Chirico, Alberto Savinio, and Filippo de Pisis. Together, they helped develop the principles of Metaphysical art. Notable works from this period include Il cavaliere occidentale (1917), L’idolo ermafrodito (1917), Madre e figlio (1917), and the well-known Musa metafisica (1917).
In 1919, Carrà began a significant collaboration with Valori Plastici, similarly to his previous contributions to Lacerba, the journal of the Futurist movement. This partnership lasted until the magazine ceased publication in 1921. That same year, he painted Le figlie di Loth (1919), a work that marks his transition from Metaphysical painting to Magical Realism, aligning with the Return to Order aesthetic promoted by Valori Plastici.
This phase continued in the early 1920s with works such as L’amante dell’ingegnere (1921), Meriggio (1923), and L’attesa (1926).
During a period culturally dominated by fascist rhetoric, artists were often encouraged to reconnect with Italian roots of painting. In response, Carrà turned to the works of late medieval and early Renaissance masters such as Giotto and Masaccio, seeking an idealized, archaic, and minimalist language.
Carrà rediscovered nature, as seen in Vele nel porto (1923), following two summer stays in the countryside.
In 1926, he joined the Novecento group and found growing inspiration in contemporary French painting, particularly in the work of Paul Cézanne—not only for his subjects, but for his clarity and purity of form. Carrà also drew from the Italian Primitives, but another key influence was Georges Seurat. Seurat’s impact is evident in Carrà’s marine-themed paintings from the late 1920s and 1930s, such as I nuotatori (1932), Barcaiolo (1930), Mattino al mare (1928), and Paesaggio marino (1932).
Carrà became one of the most important painters of 20th-century Italy, maintaining a deep, almost romantic connection with Versilia and its coastal landscapes. Despite his many travels, he consistently returned to this region. Representative works include Capanni sul mare (1937), Chiaravalle (1938), La prostituta (1945), Venezia (1946), Marina in Camogli(1957), and Casa di Merate (1959) — works marked by a fantastical order, reflecting not only formal balance but also a moral dimension inspired by antiquity.
From 1939 to 1952, Carrà taught at the Brera Academy. He died in Milan in 1966.
