Page 14 - Luigi Pericle_Beyondthevisible PRESS REVIEW Formal.pdf

NeueZürcherZeitung S.Koeberle 30November2018
EnglishVersion
ASwisHomouniversalisisrediscovered Hewasavisionaryandesoteric:LuigiPericleleftbehindahugebodyofwork,whichhasnow beenbroughttolightbyaspectacular.ndinAscona
Thestoryofhislifewouldbegoodmaterialforanovel.Sowouldtherediscoveryofhiswork.LuigiPericle(Basel1916-Ascona2001)isoneoftheforgotennamesof Swissarthistory-thisdespitethefactthathealreadyachievedinternationalsucesduringhislifetime.Thediscoveryofahugenumberofworksanddocumentsmarks thebeginningofaprocesofinvestigationthatshedslightonafascinatingwork.
DuringaninitialexaminationofthediscoveryinAscona,wheretheartistlivedfrom thebeginningofthe1950suntilhisdeath,theincrediblediversityofhisoeuvre,which defiesalclasification,cameasasurprise.Periclewasapainter,ilustrator,writer,theosophist,intelectual,mystic:ahomouniversalis.MonteVerità,anauraticplacethat hadatractedartistsandfreespiritsofalkindssincethe1920s,formedthehumusforhisartisticandspiritualresearch,whichhepursuedwithanalmostmaniacal obsesion.
Max-thegroundhog
Pericle'scareerleadsthroughmanystations.Theyoungmanhadalreadymanifestedhisthousandsofinterests.Asateenagerheatendsanartschool,butthenabandons itandbecomesanautodidact.From anearlyagehewasalsointerestedinZenphilosophy,EgyptologyandancientGreece.Alofwhichjustseeminglydoesn'tfitinwith hisactivityasacaricaturist. In1951PericlefinalycreatedMax,thegroundhogprotagonistofthecomiccaryingthesamenamewithouttext,whowastobecomeawel-knownfigurenotonlyin EuropebutalsointheUSAandJapan.Pericleachievedinternationalfamewithhisworkasanilustrator. In1958,attheageofforty-two,theartistdestroyedalthefigurativeworksinhisposesion(exceptforasinglecopy)andbeganacompletelynew phaseofhisimage production.Intheproces,hemadeatransitiontoinformalabstractionism andcertainproductiontechniques.In1959hispaintingsarousedtheinterestofthewel-known BaselcolectorPeterG.Staechelin.Thiswasthebeginningofapasionatecolaborationandfriendlyrelationship. Around1959thecolectordonatedahouseinAsconatotheartistforthenumerousworkshehadacquired,whereheliveduntilhisdeath.Between1958and1965his w o rk s w e re s h o w n in v a rio u s e x h ib itio n s in E n g la n d . A fte r th a t a ra d ic a l c h a n g e o c c u r re d . P e ric le w ith d re w c o m p le te ly to p riv a te life a n d d e v o te d h im s e lf e x c lu s iv e ly to h is artandstudies.
Sign,writingandimage
Theboundariesbetweenthedisciplinesbecomeblured.Thehugenumberofinkdrawings,forexample,fascinateswithamagicalambiguityinwhichsign,writingand imagebecomeone.Aretheyperhapsencodedmesagesofhisvisions?However,theatachmentoftheseworkstoPericle'sinvolvementwithesotericmovementsfals short. ItisdangeroustosimplyputLuigiPericleinthecategoryoftheOutsiderArt.Atthesametime,thespiritualcontextmustnotbeignored.EspecialyMasimilianoGioni's ArtBiennaleinVenicein2013hasshownhow excitingthedialoguebetweenmodernandtheso-caledesotericartcanbe.OneremembersnameslikeHilmaafKlintor EmmaKunz.LuigiPericle'sworkswouldhavedoneverywelatthisBiennale-ifonlyhisworkshadbeenrediscoveredbackthen. TheCasaSanTomasoinAsconaremainedclosedforfifteenyearssinceLuigiPericle‘sdeath.TheLuigiPericleArchiveisnow investigatingandunveilingthelegacyofthis extraordinarypersonalityincolaborationwithspecialists.ExhibitionsareplannedinSwitzerland(atMasiLugano,forexample)andafirstretrospectiveinItaly,whichwil takeplaceinSpazioScarpaattheFondazioneQueriniaspartofthe2019VeniceBiennale.
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