La strada di casa 1900

Carlo Carrà painted ‘La strada di casa’ – The street home - in 1930, depicting a small street from the artist’s hometown in Italy. The motif of the setting sun casts an ethereal light on the street, symbolizing the passage of time and the warmth of home. The use of light is reminiscent of earlier religious paintings, where divine illumination often signals spiritual presence. Think of the golden rays in Renaissance depictions of the Annunciation, where light signifies divine grace. Here, Carrà infuses the mundane with a similar sense of the sublime. The street lamp is like a beacon, a symbol of guidance and return, and the shadows cast by the trees evoke a sense of melancholy, a longing for what is familiar. This emotional resonance connects us to a collective memory, where light and shadow play pivotal roles in defining our emotional landscapes. This is a cyclical return, where the motif of light as a symbol of hope and the path home resurfaces, ever evolving in its emotional and cultural significance.