Arte e architettura nei borghi rurali in Sicilia

The intervention analyzed the artistic aspects of the first eight rural villages built in Sicily in 1940 following the law on the colonisation of the Sicilian rural areas. The artistic decorations present were incorporated into the public architecture of the new villages, especially in churches, "Case del Fascio" and other buildings destined for the common services. They have been identified and classified considering the unpublished photographic documentation in box no. 111 of the Accascina Fund, stored in the Regional Library of Palermo, and the images reproduced by the publications of the time, found through bibliographical researches. Works of art were considered by distinguishing them in religious and civil, and the latter, in turn, in official representative and “popular” decorations. In addition, the artists involved in the decoration have been presented and some of them analyzed more specifically, with their works. The predominant themes were also identified, indicating the links with fascist ideology and the role of these official representations in the context, far from the city centers. Finally, the purpose of some decorations was underlined: to arouse a sort of identification among the inhabitants of the villages and the subjects depicted, that bear fundamental values, such as work and family, and to create a sense of community.