La Strada 1956

Renato Guttuso’s ‘La Strada’ is alive with the chaos of the city, built with bright color blocks and bold strokes that thrust figures and forms forward. I imagine Guttuso, brush in hand, diving right into the thick of things, just like the people he painted. What was he thinking as he built up these layers? Maybe he felt the same push and pull of the city – the colors yelling, the forms bumping into each other. See how the red dress catches your eye, then the eye bounces over to that green bus. There’s this restless energy, a rhythm that vibrates through the whole painting. It reminds me of some of the Italian Futurists who also tried to capture movement and speed. Yet, Guttuso's got this down-to-earth feel; the realness of everyday life. It’s like he's saying, "Here we are, in all our messy, vibrant glory." We’re all just walking each other home, borrowing from each other, responding to what came before.