born July 20, 1890, Bologna, Italy
died June 18, 1964, Bologna
Italian painter and etcher.
He first exhibited his paintings with the Futurists and was closely associated with the Metaphysical painters , but he is identified with neither school. He repeatedly returned to the subject matter of simple, geometric still lifes of bottles, jars, and boxes; by returning to the same subject matter, he was able to move past content to an exploration of pure form (i.e., line, colour, shape). His contemplative approach gave his landscapes and still lifes a delicacy of tone and subtlety of design. As instructor of etching at Bologna's Academy of Fine Arts (1930–56), he had a profound influence on Italian graphic artists.