Nicola Benois in Forties Milan
The article provides an analysis of a tormented period in the life of the painter and scenographer Nicola Benois. The reconstruction of the artist's hard days, resulting from both private life troubles and the particularly unfavourable living conditions that took hold in Milan after the outbreak of World War II, has been mainly based on the study of archive materials. To this aim, the correspondence between the painter and scenographer and his parents has been of the utmost importance. The letters belonging to the period ranging from the Forties to the immediate post war years can be divided into two main categories: the first category includes private life, daily hurdles to be faced in war-torn Milan and sometimes troublesome family relationships, whilst the second represents an overview of the artist's work performed at the Scala, which for all difficulties went on uninterruptedly, as well as a snapshot of Benois’s artistic partnerships, especially those involving theatre director Sanin.
