Cipriano Efisio Oppo

Cipriano Efisio Oppo, born in Rome on July 2, 1891, and died in the same city on January 10, 1962, was a multifaceted figure of 20th-century Italian culture: painter, art critic, set designer, and politician. Trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, Oppo began his career as a caricaturist for the nationalist newspaper L’Idea Nazionale, before turning to painting, initially influenced by the Fauves, especially Henri Matisse. Between 1913 and 1914, he participated in the exhibitions of the Roman Secession, a movement that marked a turning point in early 20th-century Italian art, of which he was a co-founder alongside Roberto Melli and Giuseppe Costantini.
After volunteering in World War I, where he was seriously wounded, Oppo devoted himself to intense cultural and artistic organization. He was an art and film critic for major publications such as L’Idea Nazionale and La Tribuna di Roma, and his adherence to Fascism led him to prominent roles in the regime’s cultural institutions, making him one of the leading figures of the Italian art scene during the Mussolini era.
As a painter, Cipriano Efisio Oppo stood out for a body of work ranging from portraiture to landscape, still life, and scenes of daily life. Among his most notable works are “Campagna romana” (1921), “Ufficiale di Cavalleria” (1922), “Settembre,” and “Le castagne” (1942), the latter part of a series of still lifes created during the difficult years of World War II, when the artist sought refuge in family intimacy at his villa in San Michele di Moriano (Lucca). His painting, initially influenced by avant-garde movements, later turned toward a national tradition, always maintaining a strong focus on composition and atmospheric rendering.
In addition to his artistic activity, Oppo was a deputy of the Kingdom of Italy and a councilor of the Clothing Corporation, demonstrating a civic and political commitment intertwined with his artistic vocation.