The Necklace - Massimo Campigli

A 1956 lithograph by Massimo Campigli, featuring his characteristic Etruscan-inspired figures rendered in muted terracotta and green tones.

Massimo Campigli, born in Berlin to Italian parents, developed a distinct visual language that drew heavily from Etruscan art and the frescoes of antiquity. This lithograph, dated 1956, captures his signature approach to the human form. The figures are rendered with a flattened, frontal quality, reminiscent of ancient wall paintings. Their faces are mask-like, featuring almond-shaped eyes and elongated, simplified features that avoid realistic anatomical proportions in favour of a rhythmic, stylised aesthetic.

The composition focuses on the interaction between two figures, with one hand delicately adjusting a necklace. The use of a restricted palette, dominated by terracotta tones and muted greens, reinforces the connection to archaeological finds. Campigli often utilised a cross-hatched texture in his prints, which provides a tactile quality to the skin of his subjects. This technique creates a sense of depth through surface pattern rather than traditional perspective.

Throughout his career, Campigli remained preoccupied with the depiction of women, often placing them in domestic or social settings that feel suspended in time. His work avoids the chaotic energy of many of his contemporaries, opting instead for a quiet, monumental stillness. The figures in this print exist in a space that is neither fully interior nor exterior, allowing the viewer to focus entirely on the formal relationships between the lines and the colour fields. By stripping away extraneous detail, Campigli directs attention to the essential geometry of the human silhouette. This print serves as an example of his ability to synthesise ancient influences with the sensibilities of mid-twentieth-century European art.