il Divisionismo Pinacoteca Fondazione C.R. Tortona

Divisionism was born in the last decade of the 19th century from the innovative instances of painting technique introduced by artists such as Giovanni Segantini, Gaetano Previati, Angelo Morbelli, Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo, Angelo Longoni and Plinio Nomellini supported by the critical positions of Vittore Grubicy de Dragon. The use of divided colour came as a corollary to other pictorial experiences of transforming the academic principles in force in 19th century art and was a prelude to the developments in a modern sense that the currents of the early 20th century, up to Futurism, progressively implemented.
The collection of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Tortona constitutes the only museum project entirely dedicated to Divisionism, which is examined through works selected from among those that contributed to the artistic events of the period. On display are works by the greatest representatives of this period, whose names are listed above.
Central is the figure of Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo. The nucleus of his works is the largest in a public collection. Alongside him, another 'Tortonese', Angelo Barabino, is well represented in an itinerary that aims to reflect the reasons and characteristics of a unique collection.
It emphasises the far from secondary role played by an apparently peripheral geographical area, located at the crossroads between the experiences of the Tuscan, Lombard, Piedmontese and Ligurian areas, which are well represented here, building bridges between the painting of the Tuscan macchia, the Lombard Scapigliatura, the developments of landscape painting in the Ligurian area, and the rise of a new historical and artistic epoch.