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LuigiPericle(1916-2001):Beyondthevisible
TheFondazioneQueriniStampaliahoststhe.rstretrospectiveoftheartistLuigiPericle(Basel1916-Ascona2001),aprotagonistofEuropeanpaintingfrom the secondhalfofthetwentiethcentury,re-emergedafteryearsofoblivion.
ABaselauthorwhosefatherwasofItalianorigins(from Monterubbiano,Marche)-LuigiPericlecrossedawholeperiodofarthistoryandwasappreciatedbythemost eminentnamesoftheartworld:from thecolectorPeterG.StaechelintoSirHerbertRead(trusteeoftheTateGalery),from themuseologistHansHes(thecuratorof theYorkArtGalery)totheownersoftheartgaleryArthurTooth&SonsinLondonwherehisartworkswereexhibitedalongwiththoseofAppel,Jorn,Tàpies,Dubufet a n d M a th ie u in th e S ix tie s . A fte r a n im p o rta n t tra v e l lin g e x h ib itio n to u rin g v a rio u s E n g lis h m u s e u m s , P e ric le u n e x p e c te d ly w ith d re w to p riv a te life . It w a s 1 9 6 5 . S in c e th e FiftieshehadsetledintheanarchicheavenofMonteVerità,thewel-known“hilofutopia”isolatedinthewoodlandinCantonofTicinoaboveAscona,facingthe northernextremityofLakeMaggiorewithhiswifeOrsolinaKlainguti.Inthisplacehewentonpainting,studyingandmeditatingonhisown.
Afterhisre-emergencefrom theoblivion,todayLuigiPericleistheprotagonistofaremarkablecriticalandphilologicalrecovery.
Theprojectofstudy,restoration,conservationandcataloguingofhisartisticheritageissafeguardedbytheAssociation“ArchivioLuigiPericle”.Inthecontextofthesix- monthVeniceArtBiennaletheywilbepromotingthisexhibitionasthefirststepofamultifacetedprocesofvalorization.Incombinationwiththescientificcatalogue (editedbySilvanaEditoriale),thisexhibitionproposes50artworksincludingpaintingsoncanvasandmasonite,besidesinkdrawingsonpaperfrom theSixtiesand Seventies.Thelaterarisefrom theartist’sunwearyingstudyonthepossibilitiesofpainting:consideringinstinctasasignofmanifestationofinnerforcesandaform of visionaryresearchcariedoutthroughthemosthiddenlevelsofconsciousnes.
ThefurnituredesignedbythegreatarchitectCarloScarpa-whogiveshisnametotheexhibitionareaonthegroundfloor-wilbehostingoriginaldocuments,excerpts, handwritennotes,analysisexercisesanddiarypages,alongwithothergraphicworkswhicharemeanttoexprestheversatilepersonalityofthisman,asanartistanda thinker,tothepublic.
Asapainter,anilustrator,ascholarandanal-aroundintelectual,LuigiPericlewasinfluencedbytheosophyandesotericdoctrineswhotookpartintheculturaldebate encouragedbytheseleaningsoverthecentury.
PericlebreathedthemysticairofMonteVeritàwhich,from thedawnofthe1900s,usedtohosttherenownedcommunityfoundedin1900byIdaHofmannandHeinrich OedenkovenabovetheHilofUtopiawheretheEuropean“counter-culture”ofthetimehadsetled.Thisisexactlywhere,startingfrom theThirties,theintelectual adventureoftheEranos’meetingstookshape:theseencounterswerepromotedbyCarlGustavJung(whoseRedBookhasbeenrecentlyrediscoveredandexhibitedat theVeniceArtBiennalein2013)andbytheDutchtheosophistandpainterOlgaFroebe-Kapteyn.
Asaversatilemanwiththousandsofinterests,itisactualydifficulttoclasifyhisproduction,sinceherevealedhimselftobebothaprofessionalartistandatalented cartoonist.Infactin1951heinventedMaxthemarmot,theprotagonistofthewel-knownwordlescomicstrip,whichapparentlywasmeanttobecomepopularnotonly inEurope,butalsointheStatesandeveninJapan.Thankstohisprofesionasanilustrator,LuigiPericleachievedinternationalfameandhisworkswerepublishedbythe NYeditorMacmilanandappearedinnewspaperssuchasthe“WashingtonPost”,the“HeraldTribune”andinmagazinessuchas“Punch”.
Concurentlytothis“pop”profession,a“secondlife”ofthispainterofabstract-informalartarose.Pericleworkedobsesivelyonthedevelopmentofthemostpeculiar techniques,experimentingmaterialsandputinghisspiritualneeds,ratherthanhispaintingstyle,firstaspartofhiseverydayroutine.Hisongoingresearchaimedatthe representationofshapes,gestures,symbols,views,creatures,doorwaysandparaleluniverseswhichcouldexpressthereificationoftheinvisibleworldandanabsolute truthexistingbeyondcontingency.
Thevolumesofliterature,philosophy,Egyptianart,theosophy,astrologythatclusteredhislibraryservedtoquenchPericle’sversatilethirstforknowledge,themiraculous sourceofaninspirationthatwasnotconfinedtopaintingbut,rather,entrustedthousandsofdocumentsthatunveilaplethoraofhoroscopes,ufologyesays,notebooks richwithquotesandJapaneseideograms,cosmicsymbols,Chinesemedicineandhomeopathicrecipes.
TheexhibitionpromotedbytheAsconaAsociation“ArchivioLuigiPericle”aimsatsheddinglightonanextraordinarilyvaluableauthorwhobelongstothatcategoryof artists-namescometomindsuchasHilmaafKlint,whoseworkwaspresentedattheVeniceBiennalein2013-whopreferedtolettheirworkspeakonlyaftertheir death,neverthelesimpresingitwithanenergythatwouldhavedeservedposthumousrediscovery.
AfterLuigiPericle'sdeath,whodiedwithoutleavinganyheirsin2001,hishomeinAsconaremainedclosedforfifteenyearsuntil2016whenitwaspurchasedbynew ownerswhoshowedaprofoundsensitivitytothefascinationofitsgloriouspast.Thishousehasrevealedanimmenseheritageofworksandwritingsthatremainedburied foryears;asum oftheuniversalthoughtcataloguedbyPericlewithmonasticrigourandthatremainedcrystalizedintactuntiltoday.
ThisexhibitioniscuratedbyartthecriticandhistorianChiaraGatiincolaborationwithMarcoPasifrom theUniversityofAmsterdam (UvA)andtheEuropeanAsociation fortheStudyofReligions(EASR),MicheleTavolafrom theGaleriesofVeniceAcademyandLucaBochichio,directoroftheJornHomeMuseum ofAlbisola,AdAC UniversityofGenoa.Theprojectisrunundertheauspicesof,amongothers,theStateCounciloftheRepublicandCantonofTicino,CultureandUniversityStudyDivision (DECS),SwissConfederationConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandinMilan,MonteVeritàFoundationofAsconaandEranosFoundationofAscona.
ThecatalogueispublishedbySilvanaEditorialepublishers.
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