Italo Mus facts for kids

Italo Mus (born April 4, 1892 – died May 15, 1967) was a talented Italian painter. He is known for his beautiful artworks, especially those showing life in the Aosta Valley region of Italy.

Early Life and Training

Italo Mus was born in a place called Chaméran, which is part of Châtillon. His family came from the Aosta Valley. His mother, Martine Vallaise, was from a noble family. His father, Eugène Mus, was a sculptor, someone who makes art by carving.

Italo learned his first art skills in his father's workshop. There, he learned how to carve wood. In 1909, a famous artist named Lorenzo Delleani suggested he go to a special art school. So, Italo joined the Academy of Fine Arts in Turin. He studied painting and drawing there. His teachers taught him the basics of art, following a style similar to Impressionism.

In 1910, a big art show happened in Rome. Many famous painters like Chagall, Raoul Dufy, Jean Cocteau, and Picasso were there. Italo Mus, who was still very young, won first prize in the Young Painters’ Salon. This was his first big award and helped him become known across Italy.

His Art Career

Italo Mus loved his home, the Aosta Valley. But he also spent time working in other places. In 1913, he worked on projects in Lyon, France, and then in Lausanne and Friesch in Switzerland. He helped paint frescos (paintings on wet plaster) and fix old artworks.

Italo took part in the First World War. While he was on a break from the war, he met Giuseppina Crenna. After the war ended, they got married and had four children.

In 1932, Mus created a war memorial in Saint-Vincent. It was a statue of a soldier holding a weapon, with a fallen friend across his knees. He first made it from clay, then it was made into bronze in Milan. Sadly, this monument was melted down in 1940. Its metal was needed for the Second World War.

In 1938, an art critic named Guido Marangoni saw Mus’s paintings. He was so impressed that he wrote an article about Italo in an art magazine. He called Mus a "highly talented painter." For a while, Italo worked in his studio with another artist, Filippo De Pisis. Later, in 1956, some of Italo's paintings were shown in New York City and Buenos Aires.

In the mid-1960s, Italo Mus became very ill. This stopped him from being able to paint. He passed away in Saint-Vincent on May 15, 1967.

Italo Mus's Artwork

Italo Mus created around two thousand artworks. These included drawings, sketches, and paintings. For most of his life, he used oil paints on canvas or wooden panels. His art can be divided into three main periods, showing how his style changed over time.

First Period: 1920-1940

During these years, Italo Mus created some of his most famous works. He painted scenes from daily life in the Aosta Valley. These included pictures of people inside their homes, farmers making hay, beautiful landscapes, and people dancing.

Second Period: 1941-1958

In this period, Mus's style changed. His paintings became more about using color in exciting ways. His imagination became more important than showing things exactly as they were. He also tried new techniques, like making special effects on absorbent paper.

Third Period: 1959-1967

Towards the end of his life, Italo Mus returned to his earlier style. He made new drawings using ink and charcoal. He also created sketches for large artworks in public buildings. He painted scenes from his first period again, like haymaking and indoor scenes with many people. He showed the same human feeling, but with a slightly different look.

Awards and Recognition

Italo Mus worked hard for many years, and his art was recognized with several awards:

• The Prix Saint-Vincent (in 1922, 1947, and 1949)
• The Prix de la Montagne (meaning ‘Prize of the Mountain’, in Milan 1927)
• The Premio Einaudi (1950)
• The Premio Consiglio dei Ministri (meaning ‘Italian Cabinet Prize’, in Rome 1959)
• The Premio Nazionale d'Arte Sacra (meaning ‘National Award for Sacred Art’, in Rome 1960)

In 1979, a director named Gianpaolo Taddeini made a TV show about Italo Mus's life. It was called A valley, a Painter: Italo Mus and was shown on the RAI-Aosta Valley television station.

Selected Works

• The Revolution clog (1953), oil on panel, shown at the Fair of Valais in Martigny, Switzerland
• Chickens decent (1950), oil on canvas, shown at the XXV Venice Biennale
• Notre-Dame de Paris (1947), oil on canvas, shown at Galerie René Denis in Paris
• Stia (1951), oil on canvas, shown at the Rome Quadrennial
• Veduta del Cervino (1930), oil on canvas
• Still Life con zucche (1950), oil on canvas
• A Luge on a snowy bridge (1941), oil on canvas
• The Fucina (1934), oil on canvas
• Trofeo della Regina (1940), oil on canvas
• Funghi e Cardi (1938), oil on canvas