Luigi Conconi (1852-1917) stands as a significant, albeit sometimes overlooked, figure in Italian art history, particularly within the vibrant cultural milieu of late 19th and early 20th century Milan. An artist of remarkable versatility, Conconi's career traversed the realms of architecture, painting, and, most notably, experimental etching. His journey from Realism towards Symbolism, his deep engagement with the Scapigliatura movement, and his innovative printmaking techniques mark him as a fascinating transitional figure whose work reflects the complex artistic currents of his time.
Early Life, Education, and Formative Influences
Born in Milan in 1852 into a middle-class family, Luigi Conconi's early inclinations towards the arts were nurtured in an environment rich with intellectual and creative ferment. His formal education culminated in a degree in architecture from the prestigious Politecnico di Milano in 1874. This architectural training would subtly inform his compositional sense and spatial understanding throughout his artistic career, even as he ventured into other disciplines.
Following his graduation, Conconi sought practical experience, entering the studio of the engineer Sizzo. This period likely provided him with a grounding in technical precision and project management, skills that would prove useful in his later, more artistic endeavors. However, his passion was increasingly drawn towards the fine arts. By 1876, he had already begun to make his mark in Milanese art circles, becoming a commissioner at the Società per le Belle Arti (Fine Arts Society). This early involvement indicates a proactive engagement with the city's artistic infrastructure.
Crucially, it was during this period that Conconi began to immerse himself in the Scapigliatura movement. This avant-garde literary and artistic group, flourishing primarily in Milan and northern Italy, rejected academic conventions and bourgeois complacency, advocating for a more direct, emotionally charged engagement with reality, often tinged with a sense of rebellion and melancholy. The influence of leading Scapigliati painters like Tranquillo Cremona and Daniele Ranzoni was profound. Their painterly techniques, characterized by sfumato-like brushwork, dematerialized forms, and an emphasis on light and atmosphere to convey psychological states, deeply resonated with Conconi and shaped his evolving aesthetic.
Architectural Pursuits and Early Artistic Ventures
While Conconi's lasting fame rests more on his painting and etching, his architectural background remained a part of his professional identity. He participated in architectural competitions, a common practice for architects seeking to establish their reputation. One notable instance was his involvement in the 1882 competition for the design of the monument to King Victor Emmanuel II in Rome. For this ambitious project, Conconi submitted two distinct design proposals, developed with the assistance of his friend and collaborator, the writer and intellectual Carlo Dossi, himself a prominent figure in the Scapigliatura circle.
Though these monumental designs were not ultimately realized, and indeed faced criticism for their perceived fantastical or impractical elements, they underscore Conconi's imaginative capabilities and his willingness to engage with large-scale public projects. This architectural thinking, with its considerations of structure, space, and public impact, likely contributed a unique dimension to his two-dimensional artworks.
Parallel to his architectural activities, Conconi was honing his skills as a painter. He mastered the watercolor technique by 1876, a medium favored by many Scapigliati artists for its fluidity and ability to capture fleeting effects of light and emotion. His debut on the international stage occurred in 1877 at the Paris Salon, a significant milestone for any aspiring artist of the era. His presence in Paris, even if temporary, would have exposed him to the latest artistic developments in the French capital, then the undisputed center of the Western art world, where artists like Edgar Degas and James Tissot were also making their mark.
The Scapigliatura Movement and Conconi's Artistic Evolution
The Scapigliatura (literally "dishevelledness") was more than just an artistic style; it was a bohemian counter-cultural movement that embraced a spirit of anti-conformism. Its adherents, including writers like Emilio Praga and Arrigo Boito (who was also a composer), and painters such as Tranquillo Cremona, Daniele Ranzoni, and Mosè Bianchi, sought to bridge the gap between art and life, often exploring themes of social reality, passion, and the darker aspects of the human psyche.
Conconi was deeply embedded in this milieu. The influence of Cremona's vaporous figures and Ranzoni's psychologically intense portraits is evident in Conconi's early paintings. He adopted their emphasis on capturing the "impression" of a subject, using broken brushwork and a subtle palette to suggest form rather than define it explicitly. This approach was a deliberate departure from the polished academicism that still dominated many art institutions.
His involvement with the Società per le Belle Arti ed Esposizione Permanente in Milan further illustrates his connection to this progressive circle. In 1880, he, along with Daniele Ranzoni and Giuseppe De Nittis – another Italian artist who had achieved considerable success in Paris – first exhibited their oil paintings and watercolors at the Brera exhibition. This joint showing was a significant event, signaling a collective effort to challenge established artistic norms in Milan and introduce a more modern, introspective sensibility. De Nittis, known for his elegant depictions of modern life, shared with Conconi an interest in capturing atmospheric effects, though their stylistic paths would diverge.
Mastery of Etching: The Acquaforte Monotipata
While Conconi's paintings aligned him with the Scapigliatura's aesthetic, it was in the field of etching that he achieved his most distinctive and innovative contributions. He became a leading proponent, particularly in the Lombardy region, of a technique known as "acquaforte monotipata" or monotyped etching. This was not simply traditional etching; Conconi experimented with the process to achieve unique, painterly effects.
The core of his technique involved leaving a considerable amount of ink on the surface of the copper plate during the wiping process before printing. This residual ink, manipulated with skill, would then transfer to the paper along with the incised lines, creating rich tonal variations, atmospheric depth, and a sense of immediacy akin to a monotype. Each impression pulled in this manner could be subtly different, imbuing his prints with a unique character. He often used black ink directly on the plate, further enhancing the dramatic interplay of light and shadow.
Conconi's personal supervision of nearly all his printings was crucial. This hands-on approach ensured that each print met his exacting standards and allowed him to exploit the expressive potential of the acquaforte monotipata technique to its fullest. His etchings often explored themes similar to his paintings: intimate genre scenes, portraits, and increasingly, subjects tinged with Symbolist introspection and a sense of mystery. The technique lent itself perfectly to the suggestive, often melancholic mood prevalent in late 19th-century art. His mastery was recognized internationally, with his prints gaining acclaim at major exhibitions.
Key Works and Thematic Exploration: From Realism to Symbolism
Conconi's artistic trajectory saw a gradual shift from the socially-aware Realism of the early Scapigliatura towards a more Symbolist mode of expression during the 1880s. This evolution reflected a broader European trend, as artists moved away from purely objective depictions of the world to explore subjective experience, dreams, and the unseen.
Among his representative works, the etchings Stanza del Borgo (Room in the Village) and Le parole d'amore (Words of Love) exemplify his skill with the acquaforte monotipata. These works showcase his ability to create intimate, evocative scenes, rich in atmosphere and psychological nuance. The play of light and shadow, enhanced by the inking technique, imbues these prints with a poetic quality.
A particularly intriguing work is the etching La casa del mago (The Magician's House). This piece is often linked to Conconi's fascination with the scientist Paolo Gorini, a rather eccentric figure from Lodi known for his experiments in preserving human and animal remains and his somewhat macabre anatomical collections. Gorini's laboratory, filled with peculiar specimens and the tools of his unusual trade, seems to have captured Conconi's imagination. La casa del mago evokes a sense of mystery and the uncanny, hinting at the blurred lines between science, art, and the esoteric that fascinated many Symbolist artists. This interest in the surreal and the scientifically curious aligns Conconi with other artists of the period who explored themes of mortality and the unknown, such as the Belgian Symbolist Félicien Rops or the French artist Odilon Redon.
His paintings from this period also reflect this shift. While maintaining a connection to the Scapigliatura's painterly style, the subject matter increasingly veered towards introspection and allegory. This transition was not always met with universal approval; some critics felt his work, and that of the Milanese school in general, was becoming too reliant on established formulas or overly literary, lacking the radical innovation seen in Paris among artists like Georges Seurat or Paul Signac, who were pioneering Neo-Impressionism (related to Italian Divisionism).
Navigating the Art World: Exhibitions, Societies, and Recognition
Conconi was an active participant in the art world of his time. His debut at the Paris Salon in 1877 was an early indicator of his ambition. He continued to exhibit regularly, and his work gained significant international recognition. He was awarded at the Paris International Exhibition of 1900 and again at the Munich International Exhibition in 1913, testaments to his established reputation beyond Italy's borders.
His role within the Società per le Belle Arti in Milan was also significant. As a member of its acquisitions committee from 1880, he was involved in shaping the society's collection. This position was not without its challenges and potential controversies. The committee's decisions, such as acquiring works by artists like A. Chioggia, Leonardo Bazzaro (a notable Lombard landscape and genre painter), Eugenio Gigni, Carlo Filippo, and Angelo Dall’Oca Bianca (a Veronese painter known for his realist and symbolist works), were aimed at balancing the desire to support contemporary artists with the need to avoid an overabundance of works in older, more traditional styles that might not appeal to the younger generation.
However, this very role could also lead to criticism. Conconi, like many artists in positions of influence, faced pressure from various factions within the art community. There were suggestions that the committee, and perhaps Conconi himself, sometimes favored more traditional or established art forms over more radically experimental works, reflecting the inherent tensions in any institutional body trying to navigate artistic innovation and public taste. This was a period of intense debate about the direction of modern art, with figures like Giovanni Costa in Rome advocating for a return to nature, while others were pushing towards more avant-garde expressions.
Relationships with Contemporaries: Collaboration and Competition
Conconi's artistic life was interwoven with a network of friendships, collaborations, and undoubtedly, professional rivalries. His close association with Daniele Ranzoni and Giuseppe De Nittis has already been noted, particularly their joint exhibition in 1880 which served as a statement of shared artistic intent. His collaboration with Carlo Dossi on the Victor Emmanuel II monument designs further highlights his engagement with like-minded individuals from the Scapigliatura circle.
The art world, then as now, was a competitive environment. The very criticism Conconi faced regarding his monument designs – deemed "bizarre" or "absurd" by some – points to the scrutiny artists endured. Furthermore, the pressure from art committees that tended to favor more traditional art over innovative pieces created a challenging atmosphere for artists like Conconi who were attempting to forge new paths while still seeking institutional validation. Some artists, feeling constrained by the Milanese art scene, chose to relocate to Paris, seeking a more receptive environment for innovation.
The influence of Tranquillo Cremona and Daniele Ranzoni on Conconi was undeniable and acknowledged. However, this strong association also led to criticism that his work was perhaps too derivative or overly influenced by literary concepts, thereby lacking a purely independent artistic vision. Such critiques are common when artists work within a closely-knit movement, and distinguishing individual contribution from collective influence can be complex. His contemporaries in Lombardy included figures like Gaetano Previati and Giovanni Segantini, who would become leading figures of Italian Divisionism, a movement that, while distinct from Conconi's primary focus, shared an interest in light and modern techniques.
Conconi and the Dawn of Divisionism
While Conconi is not typically classified as a core member of the Italian Divisionist movement (Divisionismo), his work bears some relation to its preoccupations, particularly in its concern with light and atmospheric effects. Divisionism, which emerged in Italy in the late 1880s and 1890s, paralleled French Neo-Impressionism (Pointillism) but developed its own distinct characteristics and thematic concerns, often imbued with Symbolist or social realist content. Artists like Giovanni Segantini, Gaetano Previati, Angelo Morbelli, and Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo were its principal exponents.
Conconi's experimental etching techniques, with their emphasis on tonal gradations and the interplay of light and dark to create mood, can be seen as sharing a certain sensibility with the Divisionists' scientific approach to color and light. Both sought to achieve a heightened visual vibrancy and emotional resonance. Although Conconi's methods were different – focusing on ink manipulation on the plate rather than the juxtaposition of pure color dots or filaments – his exploration of expressive mark-making and atmospheric depth aligns with the broader late 19th-century quest for new visual languages. His interest in Symbolist themes also connected him to artists like Previati, whose work often explored mystical and allegorical subjects.
Institutional Involvement and Later Career
Beyond his studio practice, Conconi remained involved in artistic organizations. He was a member of the Accademia Brera, the leading art academy in Milan, where he himself had likely received some training or at least been exposed to its teachings and influential figures. His membership in the Società Umanitaria, an organization dedicated to humanitarian efforts and social reform, suggests a social conscience that was also a characteristic of many Scapigliati and later, some Divisionist artists who addressed themes of labor and social justice (like Morbelli and Pellizza da Volpedo).
His multifaceted career continued into the early 20th century. He remained a respected figure in Milan, even as new artistic movements began to emerge, challenging the dominance of Symbolism and Divisionism. The rise of Futurism, for instance, spearheaded by artists like Umberto Boccioni and Carlo Carrà (both of whom initially passed through Divisionism), would soon usher in a radically different aesthetic.
Luigi Conconi passed away in Milan in 1917. He left behind a body of work that, while perhaps not as widely known internationally as some of his Italian contemporaries like Giovanni Boldini or Antonio Mancini, holds a crucial place in the narrative of Italian art at the turn of the century.
Legacy and Conclusion
Luigi Conconi's legacy is that of a versatile and innovative artist who successfully navigated the complex artistic landscape of late 19th-century Italy. As an architect, painter, and etcher, he absorbed the rebellious spirit of the Scapigliatura, embraced the introspective turn towards Symbolism, and pioneered new techniques in printmaking with his acquaforte monotipata.
His work provides a vital link between the romantic agitation of the Scapigliati, the burgeoning interest in Symbolist themes, and the technical experimentation that characterized the era. He was a man of his time, deeply engaged with the cultural and intellectual currents of Milan, yet also looking outwards, as evidenced by his participation in international exhibitions. While he may have faced criticism for being too tied to certain traditions or for the perceived impracticality of some of his architectural visions, his dedication to his craft and his willingness to explore new expressive means are undeniable.
Luigi Conconi deserves recognition not only for his technical mastery, particularly in etching, but also for his role as a thoughtful interpreter of the human condition, capturing moments of intimacy, mystery, and psychological depth. His art reflects a period of profound transition, and his contributions remain a testament to the rich and diverse artistic production of Italy during a pivotal moment in modern art history. He stands alongside figures like Medardo Rosso, the great Impressionist sculptor also from Milan, as an artist who sought to capture the ephemeral and the deeply felt.
