Page 107 - Luigi Pericle_Beyondthevisible PRESS REVIEW Formal.pdf

Englishversion
WhowasLuigiPericle? ThemysteriousartistofMonteVeritàattheVeniceBiennale
Thepictorialrepresentation-andpartlythegraphicalone-isonlyoneoftheseveralsidesofLuigiPericle’sartwhichwilbeproposedinthenexteditionofVeniceArt Biennale.Thisaspect-whichwepersonalybelievetobethemostinteresting-justrepresentsthetipoftheiceberg,afteral-asclaimedbyChiaraGati,curatorofthe upcomingVenetianexhibitiondedicatedtoPericle.Therestoftheartist’screativeproductionshoulddeservetobesimilarlyknownaswelashisvastexperience,hismain readings,hispasions,hiscolateralstudiesandthewholeuniverseconnectedtohispersonality.Aman,borninBaselin1916,whosenameandartactualyappeared,at acertainpoint,intheartcataloguesofthetimealongwithPicaso.
Thisaspectshouldhavebeensufficientbutthedynamicsofthisexceptionaldiscovery(alreadycitedhere)needconsidering,aswelasthevalorisationprojectcariedout bythespousesBiasca-CaroniwhorescuedthetreasureandchairedthepresentationeventinAsconasomedaysago.Moreover,inordertoestablishthehistoric-artistic importanceinthecontextofthetwentieth-centuryavant-gardeart-asexplainedbyNicoletaMongini(FondazioneMonteVerità)andFabioMerlini(PresidentofEranos)- weneedtodiveintothecultural,mysticandspiritualbackgroundwhichcharacterizedthephenomenonofMonteVerità.
Asamateroffact,it’snotjustbychancethatthemostmysticthoughtsofLuigiPericlecametolightwhilehewasexactlyinAscona-thevegetariansetlementfounded byIdaHofmannandherhusbandHenriOedenkovencomposedby“air/light”huts,dozensofhectarsofuncontaminatedforestsandcentenarytrees.Inwhichotherplace couldhehavebestexpresedhimself?Thisisinfact,whereeverythinghappenedintheearly1900s:therewastotalharmonybetweenlife-art-naturealsoinfluencedby theincreasingstudiesofEasternphilosophies.Thosewhowerelookingforahealthierandfreerlifestyle-intermsofhumanexpresion-usedtogettogetherinthis place,farfrom theprogres sofdevelopingindustrialization.
AfterthepresentationonocasionofthepresconferenceheldinAsconainFondazioneMonteVerità,Pericle’sIndianinkdrawingsandpaintingswilbeexhibitedatthe Biennale.These artworks perfectly synthesize this sortof“underworld” with the artist’s intense artstyle and partly convey the exceptionalexperience ofthe Lebensreform (“lifereform”).Acordingtoit,inadditiontothespreadingofOrientalphilosophies,itpursuedidealsofbeautyandrespectofnature,especialyintermsof humanwel-being.Pericle,whohadatendedMonteVeritàsincehisarivalinAscona,tooknoteofthesedevelopmentsandhadconveyedthem throughhispainting techniques-asSilvanoSigiGiannini,oneofthelocalartistshasrecentlyrevealed.InfactPericle’scompositionsofsymbolsandsigns-oftencreatedthroughtheuseof innovativemethods-telusmuchmoreofwhatisimmediatelyvisiblefrom thelastcoatofpaint.Ingeneralmuchmoreofwhattheyexpresatfirstsight.
Thisinterestingmeeting-organizedbytheCenterofMonteVerità-hasbeentheidealocasiontodealwiththesetopicsandmanyotherisues,sincetheFoundation doesn’tbetrayitsoriginsandcurentlycoordinatesinitiativesofthehighestculturalvalue.Forinstance,amongtheseveraleventstobescheduledinMay,anexhibition wilbeproposed“Treesoflife&PeopleIknow”withartworksbyIvanaFalconiandPascalMurer.
ThisistheidealsitewhereArtNouveauortheBauhauswoodenhutsarestilpresentandaresuroundedbythespiritualityoftheplace.Giventhevariouscontributions andinadditiontothespeechbythespousesBiasca-Caroni-theownersofthehotelwhodiscoveredPericle’sworkandnow arecourageouslydealingwiththevalorisation ofhisart-ChiaraGati’sspeechwasquiteiluminatingwhensheimpartedthehistoricandartisticcontextofwhichPericlehadbeenpart.
Incomparisonwithourpreviousvisit,theresearchhasbeenfurtherdeveloped.Althoughtherearemanyaspectswhicharestiltobeexamined,theentirestudyappears tobeatapretyadvancedlevel.Moreover,thecopiousamountofPericle’sartworksandtheirperfectstateofconservation,havebeenconsideredagoodandpersuasive reasontoexhibitagoodselectionofthem attheFondazioneQueriniStampaliainVeniceontheocasionoftheupcomingArtBiennale.