Gino Severini (Italian, 1883-1966) The Harlequins

Gino Severini was an Italian painter and a leader member of the Futurist movement. He was associated with neo-classicism and the ‘return to order’ in the decade after the First World War. During his career he worked in a variety of media, including mosaic and fresco. Severini synthesized the styles of Futurism and Cubism. The Futurists wanted to revitalize Italian art by depicting the speed and dynamism of modern life. Severini shared this artistic interest by his work did not contain the political overtones typical of Futurism. Severini usually portrayed the human figure as the source of energetic motion in his paintings. He was especially fond of painting nightclub scenes in which he evoked the sensations of movement and sound by filling the picture with rhythmic forms and cheerful, flickering colors.