Self-portraits are all located in the atellier, which is the place where a painter's life and work come together.
Manara was an introverted man; he was discordant compared to his time and to the setting where he moved after the post-war: Milan in the 50s and 60s was characterized by an economic and building boom, as well as artistic experiments. Manara was distant from most of his contemporary artists' abstract choices. He did not find a middle ground with existential Realists, who, in that period, never hesitated to give voice to their disapproval against the social injustice and decay of suburbs in Milan with active and denouncing works.
Clamour and provocation are far from his nature, and Manara prefers to give voice in his paintings to the domestic world of settings and characters near to him, such as The mother or The carpenter.
Donated by Giovanna Brovetto Ronda Manara, 2007
