Giovanni Battista Montini e l'Arte: le grandi premesse (1920-1925). Da Maritain agli artisti. Una mostra e le sue ragioni

The essay is the first research contribution of the volume Paolo VI and the courage of contemporary art, created within the collection of contemporary art "Art and Spirituality" in Brescia and in collaboration with the city that gave birth to Giovanni Battista Montini, a hundred years since that event. Starting from the Collection, created by an archbishop and then a pope who had challenged contemporary artists to a not subordinated partnership, the study goes back to the origins of such a thought in order to understand the intelligence, the development lines, the connections, the reason that moved him and the personalities that have strengthen it. Since the twenties and throughout the period between the two wars when the new reflection focuses, the artistic Montinian culture is in contact mainly with the cultural work that Jacques and Raïssa Maritain lead in this direction with a group intellectuals, with who, beyond any confessional choice, they put in issue the nature of the links between the categories of art and spirituality and, more widely, the agreement between reason and faith. These relationships influence each other both on the artistic theory that intellectuals like Jacques Maritain are working on, and on the independent work of the artists themselves. The study used the opening of several archives and different full-bodied correspondences between the actors of this complex and rich interplay, and offers a patrimony of valuable information that allows us to understand the knowledge, the course of events, difficulties, doubts , hopes of that cultural aspect which is impressive for the enormous work done and for the mutual support efforts. The choice of the artist aims to give back the origin of a discourse on art and its customization in different paths. The essay also refers to an anthology of writings of the different actors of this dialogue published in the appendix, some of which are new and translated for the first time.