Works by Italian painter Renato Guttuso are tied to neo-realism — the movement that experienced its peak of development in Italian cinematography. Guttuso believed that an artist’s main task is to create the image of a contemporary. In the painting A Calabrian Worker’s Roman Sunday (Rocco with a Record Player), he depicted Rocco, a young worker, who lived in the artist’s house for some time. According to the neo-realist tradition, Guttuso gave his model a harsh character, thus emphasizing his loneliness in a big city. The sharply drawn image, big and bright brush strokes, flashing red flecks, contrasts of light and shadow, and shifting of form convey the tense drama and expressiveness of the character.