Achille Lega trained at a very early age in Florence basing his style on late Macchioli artists and around 1914 he studied in the atelier of Lodovico Tommasi. When he left the Accademia di Belle Arti, he became involved in the magazine “Lacerba” and, in 1916, he joined the Futurist movement and started to frequent the Giubbe Rosse caffé. In 1917 he painted “Ritratto della madre” (Portrait of my Mother) which shows the influence of the painting of Boccioni, and “Vibrazioni atmosferiche di un aeroplano in volo” (Atmospheric vibrations of a plane in flight), one of the first examples of paintings of airplanes.
In 1922 he prepared his first personal exhibition held at the Gonnelli Gallery in Florence. In this period he joined the circle of 20th century Tuscan artists, specializing in landscape painting. He contributed drawings and articles on art for the magazine “Il Selvaggio” and, in 1926 and 1929, took part in 20th century exhibitions in Milan.
In 1928, 1930 and 1932 he exhibited at the Venice Biennale with works such as “Natura morta” (Still Life), “Piano del Mugnone” (The Mugnone Plain) “L’Arno” (The River Arno), “La fornace” (The Kiln), “Libeccio” (The South-West Wind), “Marina”, and “Giornata di settembre” (Day in September). At the same time he was working on woodcuts and lithographs. In 1934, five days after his death, Florence paid tribute to Lega with an exhibition opened with a speech by Romano Romanelli. In 1948 he was given a retrospective exhibition at the Venice Biennial.
Written by: Gioela Massagli – Translated by: Catherine Biggerstaff
© Studio d’Arte dell’800