Francesco del Drago, born in Rome in 1920 and died in 2011, has covered almost a century of history as a protagonist, actively and passionately participating both in the artistic transformations that followed in the twentieth century and in the political changes. He has held numerous exhibitions since his participation in the Venice Biennale in 1954, and is present in many public and private collections, especially in Europe and the United States.
Rigorous intellectual and extraordinary artist, he investigated the phenomenology of color for a long time, arriving at the elaboration of the "New Chromatic Circle". The chromatic contrasts and the juxtaposition of certain shapes combine to create a state of excitement in the brain areas responsible for vision.
His theoretical research has been the subject of conferences in many universities around the world, but also of exchanges with numerous artist friends: among others, Guttuso and Birolli in Italy, Picasso, Pignon, Matta and the French masters of color such as Herbin and Dewasne in Paris, where he moved in 1951. French experience particularly relevant in his career, so much so that the art historian Nello Ponente wrote: "Del Drago carries on all the developments of contemporary painting and in particular those of the French tradition".
The exhibition conceived by Pietro Ruffo for the Bilotti Museum will present a selection of fundamental abstract works, which will allow us to enter the thought and artistic practice of Francesco del Drago.
Following a backwards path, the exhibition will begin with the artist's latest works, exciting in the effort to further expand the chromatic range, and then concentrate on the imposing abstract polyptychs, the summa of del Drago's entire research.
Di del Drago will also highlight the stature of theorist, his studies on color closely connected to the most recent mathematical discoveries through a rich selection of documents, films and experiments.
Particularly interesting is in fact the possibility of passing from aesthetic results to theoretical premises in a process which allows for an in-depth study of the problems of XNUMXth-century abstract art and, in particular, those concerning colour. It is no coincidence that Francesco del Drago's research has profoundly influenced the chromatic use of subsequent generations, even in the world of graphics, advertising and cinema.
The exhibition is promoted by Roma Capitale, Department of Cultural Growth - Capitoline Superintendency for Cultural Heritage.
Carlo Bilotti Museum – Orangery of Villa Borghese
Viale Fiorello LaGuardia, Rome
Free entry
