Page 153 - Luigi Pericle_Beyondthevisible PRESS REVIEW Formal.pdf

Englishversion
Venicerediscoversand“meets”LuigiPericle
Interview toChiaraGati
TheCarloScarpaAreaintheFondazioneQueriniStampaliahoststhefirstretrospectiveexhibitiondedicatedtotheartistLuigiPericle(1916-2001)whoseartistic researchisbackonsceneafterdecadesofoblivionandsilence.TheVenetianFoundationisofering thepublicanexhibitionofextraordinaryarchivalvalue.Itbrings ouratention back to this greattwentieth century artist,his sensitivity and visionary aspect-in addition to his excelenttechnicalskils and his vibrantformal experimentation.HisvisualpoetryaspirestobereadoncemorethankstoAndreaandGretaBiasca-Caroni'spasion-whoruntheArchivioLuigiPericle-andChiara G a t ti. A s a c le v e r a rt h is to ria n , s h e h a s s e t o u t to s tu d y in d e p th th e fi g u re o f L u ig i P e ric le ; s h e c u r re n tly c u ra te s th is m e a n in g fu l e x h ib itio n a n d c o n s id e rs th e reorganisationoftheSwisartist’sartworksanddocumentsasamainstep.WeareenthusiasticalyguidedbyChiaraGatithroughtheroomsofthisexhibition,sowe interviewedherinVeniceandwereabletodiveintoalofthesetopicsinfurtherdetail.
LuigiPericlehadtocopewithmanydiferentvicisitudesrangingfrom internationalfametooblivionduringhislife.Couldyougiveussometipsabouthis .gureasanartist,athinkerandanintelectual?Andwhatabouthisself-imposed“exile”?
Hispersonalityisverycomplex.Hewasnotonlyanexcelentpainterandarenownedilustrator-inventorofthewel-known“Maxthemarmot”publishedworldwide. Periclewasalsoascholar,aresearcher,athinkerandakeeninterpreterofeverycultureanddiscipline.AtthesametimeheusedtodealwithGreekandOriental philosophiessincehewasfondofancientEgypt,Zenphilosophyandastrologyandmoreoverhisknowledgeacquiredfrom cosmologytoKabbalah.Healsolearntabout ancientGreekandJapanesecaligraphy,hewasatheosophist,expertonesotericdoctrines.Aversatilepersonalitywithanamazingmind.Afterhisinternationalsuces basedonaestheticresearch,hisexhibitionsinseveralEnglishmuseumsandhisatendanceatthebestLondonartgaleries,hedecidedtoretreatduetohisprofound mismatchwiththeartsystem.Theboom intheSixties-madeofjetset,artmarketandcompromises-encouragedhim tomoveawayfrom thepublicscene.Sohe withdrew toTicino,onthefootofMonteVerità,thehilofUtopiawhich,sincetheearly1900shadbeenaperfectdestinationforthinkersandthefamousanarchic community.ThelocationwaslateremphasizedbythegreatartcriticHaraldSzemann.Periclestayedinthisplace,isolatedinhismeditation,forgotenbytherestofthe world.Untilnow.
Therediscoveryitselfhasthequalityofsomethingextraordinary.Imean,thewayinwhichhisartworkshaverecentlybeenrescued...
Forfifteenyearsafterhispasingawayin2001(hewasborninBaselin1916),hishouseinAsconahadremainedclosedandunfortunatelyinstateofdecay.Afterbeing putupforauction,itwaspurchasedbyGretaandAndreaBiasca-CaroniwhowereawareofPericle’sdiscreetpersonalitybuthadn'texpectedthatthissmalhousewould haveshelteredatreasureofpaintingsanddrawings.Inadditiontobooks,diaries,documentsandtheamazingcorespondencewiththewholeartworldofhistime.Asa materoffact,thePandora’sboxhasrecentlybeenopenedandhasbroughtbackthenameofthismasterenlighteninghishistorystrictlyconnectedtotheEuropean cultureofthesecondpost-warperiod.Achapterinthehistoryofartstiltobeunveiledandstudied.
Whicharethe.guresreguardingthisarchivalmaterial?Whataboutitscontents?Whichperioddoesitexactlycover?
Twohundredandfiftypaintingsandmorethanthreethousandandfiftydrawingsinperfectstateofconservationareenclosedinwoodenboxesandwrappedintisue paper-keptintactdespitethepasingoftime.Thequalityissuperb;theconservationisexcelent;thesepiecescoveraperiodstartingfrom thelateFiftiesuntiltheearly Eighties.ThepreliminaryfigurativeartworksweredestroyedbyPericlehimselfwho,atacertainpointofhisresearch,preferedtoexpreshimselfapproachinganew style,abstractandvisionary.Hethereforeabandonediconographiessuchaslandscaperepresentationsalthoughtheyweresymbolist.Araresampleofthisfirstfigurative productionshowsaconsiderableamountofknowledge,asortoflightmonolithwhichrecalsHiurlonis’horizonsandhisiconicspiritandabsolutevisions.
CanyoutelusmoreaboutAndreaandGretaBiasca-Caroni'sreactions?How didtheymoveforwardinregardstothishugeheritagetheypurchased?
Afterthefirstmomentsofastonishment,theyimmediatelyrealizedthevalueofthisdiscoveryandundertooktheeminentneedofcataloguing.Theycontactedagroupof researchersandartcriticsandstartedcolaboratingwiththem,theaim wastostudyeveryaspectofPericle’sproductionandcuratetheVenetianexhibitionviateam work.
WhenwastheArchivioLuigiPericlefounded?
AnonprofitculturalAsociationwasestablishedsomemonthsagodealingwithactivitiessuchascataloguing,conservationandvalorisation.Pericle’sarchivalmaterial- curentlyconservedinAscona-isalreadyavailabletobeconsultedbywhoeverisinterestedinstudyingthisartistandhiswork.Someinterestingmaterialcanalsobe foundinthecolectionsattheMuseoComunaled’ArteModernainthevicinity.
How didtheprojectofthisexhibitionarise?How didyouarangeitandwhichmaterialsdidyouchoose?Certainly,theselectionmusthavebeendif.cult,strict andexciting!
ThisexhibitioncoversalthevariousphasesofPericle’sresearchintheSixtiesandtheSeventiesincronicalorder.Theimaginativevisionofaworldpopulatedby mysteriousmechaniccreaturesorhumanoidsstandout:theyareoutlinedbytheartist’squickstrokesbothinhispaintinganddrawings.Onecanacknowledgeimages whicharemeanttobecometheprotagonistsofPericle’salegoriessuchastheUranianGolem,theArchangel,theGuardianoftheThreshold.Mythicalfigureswhichmove onthesurfaceofthecanvasinamagmaofcolours:ambiguousforces,enigmaticpresences,divineprotectors,evenmonstruousbeings.A bigIcarusrepresentsthe humanhazardofmanhoodwhilestrivingtoflybeyondthelimitsofwhatisposibleandalowed.Instead,Signontherockisapowerfulstonyidolwhichseemstobe stolenfrom caveart.Theartofthepastmatchestheartofthefuture:archaicvisionsandfuturisticdreamsmanifestthemselvesintheartist’sworkleadingtothelast seriesofthe“gates”asdoorwaysconnectingskyandearth,ourmortalworldandthecosmicframe.
WhichaspectshaveyoudecidedtofocusonwhendescribingLuigiPericle’spersonalandartistichistory?
Thedocumentarysectionoftheexhibitiongivesanideaofthewholecontextofhispaintingaswelashiscontactswiththemosteminentnamesoftheartworldinhis epoch.From HansHes(curatoroftheYorkArtGalery)whoorganizedatravelingexhibitionofPericle’sarttouringseveralEnglishmuseumsin1965toSirHerbertRead (artcritic,cofounderoftheInstituteofContemporaryArtinLondonandPeggyGuggenheim'sartconsultant)whovisitedPericleandwasincrediblyimpresedbyhiswork. ThecataloguesoftheLondonexhibitionsatestedPericle’snamealongwiththemastersofCo.Br.A.ThephotosinYorkMuseum explainhow greatlyhewas internationalyrenowned.So,it’simportanttoretracePericle’spastinordertounveilthechaptersofhislifewhichwerekeptinthedarkforalongtimealthough,hehad playedtheroleasaprotagonistinthefieldofarthistoryinhistime.
AfterthegreatVenetianexhibition,whatareyougoingtoplaninordertopromoteandspreadhiswork?Isitmaybetoosoontospeakaboutageneral catalogue?Doyoualsothinkaboutopeningituptothemarket?
OtherexhibitsarealreadyscheduledsuchasaretrospectiveexhibitionattheMASIinLuganoin2021.WeareincontactwithremarkableEuropeanmuseumswhichhave alreadyexpresedacertaininteresttowardsthisproject.InBaselwe’regoingtotestthewaterssincePericle’sartwilbepresentedatthesametimeastheartfair.In SeptemberPericle’sartwilalsobeexhibitedasa“specialguest”ontheocasionofWopArtLugano.