Caricatures: satiric and scornful vein among drawing masters.

by Massimo Pulini

A selection of sketched caricatures is shown together with the precious exhibition of portraits from Baratti Collection, coming from the same Group of Artists and of Milanese Patriotic Fans, giving a different picture of the same artistic movement in Lombardia between the XIX and the XX century.
In most cases, the very artists move something half in jest and, after portraying themselves in official posture, they used to take fun of each other.
Palanti,Morelli,Martinenghi o Bettinelli engage , with countenance and sincerity, in the goliardic rite of caricature.
Other members of the group and even true models suffer from it, being transformed in real characters, reduced to a geometric shape or under the deforming lens of the quickest and most sarcastic hands in Milan.
The outstanding Baratti collection of paper sheets lets us understand the great modernity of these artists, skilfull pencil swordman and pitiless charcoal boxers and it is just the disinhibited ground of irony that gives us back the fresh and fertile mood of that place among that group of artists.