Carlo Monti Biography
Carlo Monti was born in 1928 and began painting at the age of twenty, after completing his classical studies. Encouraged by his painter friends, including Gian Filippo Usellini, they glimpsed Monti's instinctive aptitude for painting. Although he defines himself as self-taught, Monti attended the nude school at the Brera Academy in Milan and Usellini's studio, to which he remains linked by a constant and constructive friendship. Monti achieved considerable critical success at his first solo exhibition in Milan in 1954 and was later selected for the National Quadrennial in Rome in 1954-55. After a solo exhibition in Milan in 1957, Monti slowed down his pictorial activity until 1959. In the 60s and 70s, the painter dedicated most of his time to the study of landscapes and portraits, taking part in personal and collective exhibitions in Italy and abroad. Although he prefers solitary work, Monti continues to be in great demand and gallery owners often invite him to exhibit. Monti's works focus above all on the Lombard landscape, painted with strong and warm tones, which capture the intensity of personal emotions, without dedicating too much to details. Monti also dedicates himself to portraits, in particular children and women, trying to capture the essence of the subject in gestures and expression. Technically, Monti differs in the drafting of his works depending on whether they are landscapes or portraits: in the first case the calligraphy and gestures are more evident, while in the portraits he dedicates himself to a more rigorous introspection of the subject.
