Matthew Rudman reviews Carlo Carrà: Metaphysical Spaces, curated by Ester Coen, at Blain Southern, London on view through August 20, 2016.

Rudman writes: “Visitors are greeted by Penelope (1917), an arresting picture that, for the purposes of this exhibition, acts as a bridge between Carrà’s futurist and metaphysical periods. Penelope is composed of riveted machine components, fragmented shapes interlocking in arcing lines, but the central figure is static: Penelope appears as a model or statue rather than a being in motion. Carrà seems here to have been just as occupied depicting the rigid cuboid room in which Penelope stands as the figure herself, a tendency visible in many other paintings and drawings on display.”