RenatoGuttuso was an Italianartist known for his association with the Socialist Realism movementpopular in the Soviet Union. A fervent opponent of Fascism and adevoted communist, Guttuso’s works carried a strong politicalmessage, as seen in his troubling Executionby Firing Squad in the Countryside(1938), a painting depicting the violent assassination of the Spanishpoet Federico Garcia Lorca by fascist militia. His expressivebrushstrokes and rich use of warm reds and browns, can be seen in hispainting La Vuicciria(1974), a scene of a bustling market in Palermo. Born on December 26,1912 in Bagheria, Sicily, he gave up studying law at PalermoUniversity to pursue a career as an artist. Having shown an aptitudefor drawing at a young age, his early style reflected the influenceof Giorgio de Chirico. The artist went on to exhibit two of hispaintings in 1931 at the showcase, Prima Quadriennale d’ArteNazionale de Roma. Guttuso died January 18, 1987 in Rome at the ageof 75. Today, his works are held in the collections of the HermitageMuseum in St. Petersburg, the Tate Gallery in London, The Museum ofModern Art in New York, and the Palazzo Ruspoli in Rome, amongothers.