Le figlie di Loth - Carlo Carrà

A 1919 work by Carlo Carrà, this painting reflects the artist's transition into the Valori Plastici movement with its structured, archaic forms and quiet, metaphysical atmosphere.

Carlo Carrà painted Le figlie di Loth in 1919, a period marking his transition from the dynamism of Futurism toward the stillness of Metaphysical Art and the Valori Plastici movement. This work demonstrates a shift in his approach, moving away from the fragmentation of his earlier years to embrace a more structured, archaic form of representation.

The composition is divided into distinct zones. On the left, a figure stands near a red architectural element, while a second figure kneels on the right, gesturing toward an open space. A slender, reddish animal occupies the centre of the foreground, acting as a bridge between the two human forms. The background features a simplified, arid terrain with rounded hills and a distant structure, all rendered under a pale, uniform sky. The perspective is deliberate and flattened, lacking the traditional depth of academic painting. This creates a sense of suspension, as if the figures exist within a staged, timeless environment.

Carrà draws upon the visual language of early Italian Renaissance masters, particularly Giotto and Paolo Uccello, to inform his treatment of form and space. The figures possess a sculptural quality, their drapery and postures echoing the gravity of trecento painting. By stripping away unnecessary detail, Carrà focuses on the essential volume of his subjects. The palette is restrained, relying on earthy tones and muted blues to maintain a quiet, contemplative atmosphere. This painting is an example of the artist's search for a new classicism in the aftermath of the First World War, where the focus shifted toward order, clarity, and the recovery of historical artistic traditions. The work invites the viewer to consider the narrative through its formal arrangement rather than through emotional expression or dramatic action.