Lorenzo Viani (1888 – 1950) was a key figure in Italian Expressionism, recognized for his coarse, dramatic and deeply emotional style. His art stands out for its ability to grasp the psychological and social nuances of human suffering, making Viani an artist with a strong social commitment.

Viani’s stroke was incisive and vigorous, often characterized by unflinching irregular lines that suggest tension and restlessness. The dramatic use of chiaroscuro emphasizes the plasticity of the bodies and faces, bringing a sculptural aura to the subjects. This expressionist style, with strong influences of social realism, makes his works immediate and powerful. In his engravings, Viani masterfully exploited black and white to enhance the contrast between light and shade, thus intensifying the pathos of the scenes.

The two-year period 1908-1909 (the date of creation of the work presented here) coincided with his first stay in Paris, a city which profoundly influenced his art and his aesthetic vision. Here Viani came into contact with the fervent bohemian artistic environment, frequenting the circles in which Expressionists, Symbolists and Anarchists moved, finding inspiration in the works of Vincent van Gogh, Edvard Munch and James Ensor. It is likely that he also met Amedeo Modigliani, with whom he shared Tuscan origins and a certain rebellious spirit. One of the most significant encounters was with the painter and engraver Émile Bernard, who had worked with Gauguin and the Nabis group. Viani’s stay in Paris strengthened his predilection for a highly expressive style of painting, close to social themes, with faces marked by suffering and scenes of popular life. He returned to France several times throughout his career, always maintaining a link with the Parisian artistic environment. His style, defined as a “dramatic expressionism”, reflected these French influences but always maintained a deeply Italian root, linked to the popular world, entrenched in his sensitivity for the working classes and the “outcasts”.

The Parisienne is an emblematic work which embodies the tension between psychological introspection and expressionist energy that characterized the production of this Versilian artist in the early 20^th century. This painting, created during a period of intense experimentation, reflects both the influence of avant-garde Paris and Viani’s social and humanist roots. The female figure of “The Parisian” emerges as a portrait that is both individual and archetypal at the same time. The face, with its deliberately accentuated and deformed features, betrays an inner restlessness. The energetic broken line, a distinctive feature of Viani’s art, builds a figure that is not merely a Parisian woman, but a universal representation of alienation and fragility.

The colours, predominantly dark and earthy, with more vivid accents in the details (such as an accessory or a facial feature), reflect a palette that looked to German Expressionism but retained a vibrant, almost sculptural painterly quality, recalling Viani’s strong bond with the earth and its elements. The composition, with the background barely hinted at, places the woman in a space-time limbo, as if suspended between the everyday and the eternal.

The tension between the modernity of the metropolis and the sorrowful humanity of the figure represented makes this work a manifesto of Viano’s poetics: an art that screams out loud without holding back, that condemns and commemorates at the same time.