The Masks (The Politics)

“The Masks (The Politics)”, exhibited at the Milan exhibition in 1906, is a painting with a strong allegorical character that Angelo Dall'Oca Bianca proudly exhibited in his Veronese house in Via Santa Maria Rocca Maggiore to emphasize his satirical spirit and his political independence. The explicit title links the origins of politics to a masquerade, where the complexity of human existence is reduced to the juxtaposition of sincerity and hypocrisy. Masks and costumes - Arlecchino, a medieval knight with a helmet and sword, the head of a chicken, a tricorn - create a looming side scene on which stands out a female figure with a theatrical and provocative movement observes the observer: the merchant of masks exerts an irresistible seduction on the spirits and passions of men, having for every instinct and for every greed a costume, a trick, a mask. Almost submerged by the costumes and fabrics you can see in the dim light the figure of Christ, the only authentic character.