Agriculture Frieze (G. Severini)

Commissioned by the "Federation of Agrarian Consortia" to decorate the atrium of Palazzo dei Ricevimenti e dei Congressi during the Agricultural Exhibition of 1953, the Agriculture Frieze is one of Gino Severini's mature works. The work itself is imposing: painted on plywood panels, using casein tempera, it measures 7.25 x 73 metres. The work not only had the purpose of decorating the large entrance space, but also served to cover the existing fresco All roads lead to Rome, created there by Achille Funi, which was compromised by its close connection to the ideology of the regime that commissioned it.

To decorate such a vast area, Severini had to join a series of panels and, at the same time, strengthen them to prevent the plywood from breaking or warping. Given its considerable size, Severini divided the 70 metres of frieze into 5 large, independent sections, separated by a grey border frame. The central section is an abstract representation of Agriculture and the Four Seasons; to the left and right are the two largest sections, both representing Federconsorzi, in a Cubist style. At the two ends are a section depicting the Chemical Industry at the Service of Agriculture and the Mechanical Industry at the Service of Agriculture, which are decidedly Futurist in style.

When, at the end of the Eighties, it was decided to bring Funi's work back to light, the Agriculture Frieze was moved to the rear atrium of Palazzo dei Ricevimenti e dei Congressi; the more limited space available there meant that the panel relating to Mechanical Industry had to be displayed in the Salone delle Fontane at Palazzo Uffici, where it hangs on the back wall.