Page 7 - Luigi Pericle_Beyondthevisible PRESS REVIEW 2021.pdf

LuigiPericle(Basel1916-Ascona2001)
AleadingartistandauthoroftheEuropeanartsceneinthepost-warperiod,LuigiPericlewashighly e s te e m e d b y le a d in g s c h o la rs a n d c o l le c to rs o f th e tw e n tie th c e n tu ry , s u c h a s S ir H e rb e rt R e a d , trusteeoftheTateGalery,curatoroftheVictoriaandAlbertMuseum,friendandartconsultantof P e g g y G u g g e n h e im a n d o f th e g re a t S w is s c o l le c to r P . G . S ta e c h e lin , h is p a tro n d u rin g h is c a re e r.
Linkedtotheteam oftheArthurTooth&SonsGaleryinLondon,LuigiPericleexhibitedhisworkat someofthemostimportantgroupexhibitionsofthe1960s,alongsidePicaso,Appel,Jorn,Tàpies, DubufetandMathieu.Attheapexofhissuccessin1965,themuseologistHansHes(curatorofthe YorkArtGalery)organisedatravelingtourwithhim invariousAnglo-Saxonmuseums.Afterthis succesfulperiod,theartistchosetoleavetheartworldtodevotehimselftointrospectionandself analysis,inthetranquilityofAsconainSwitzerland.
From the‘60stothe‘80s,LuigiPericlecreated,inacreativeandmysticalrapturethat would neverabandonhim,anendlesseriesofartworksoncanvasonmasoniteandink drawings. LuigiPericlehasbeenatthecentreofanimportantandrecentrediscoveryofalarge n u m b e r o f h is a rtw o rk s in h is re s id e n c e in A s c o n a , w h e re h e re tire d in to a s o rt o f h e rm ita g e in la te 1 9 6 5 . H is a rtw o rk s h a v e b e e n e x h ib ite d in 2 0 1 9 a t th e 5 8 th V e n ic e Biennale,presented through an anthologicalapproach atthe Area Carlo Scarpa ofthe FondazioneQueriniStampaliainVenice.
TherediscoveryofLuigiPericlecoincideswitharenewedinterestincolectingandtoinstitutionalorganization,whichhasalreadyseen curatorsanddirectorsofEuropeanmuseumsvisittheVenetianexhibitionandthearchiveoftheartistkeptinAscona.Newspapersand internationaljournalsarehighlightinghisproductionandhisrevival;amongthem,theEnglishmagazine"Aesthetica",“IlGiornaledel’Arte”,the Italiannewspapers"LaRepubblica"and"IlCorieredelaSera",theSwisnewspaper"NZZ.NeueZürcherZeitung”.
Inthenextfew years,afulcalendarofexhibitionswilbringLuigiPericletoprestigiousexhibitionspacesreadytowelcomehisart.
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"Art,byitsnature,reflectsthespiritualdispositionofmananditislikeaninstrument endowedwithclairvoyance;italwayshasthepresentimentoffutureevents.” Luigi Pericle
Startingfrom apersonalandinformalresearch,linkedtotheworkofmastersofthe previousgenerationsuchasJeanDubufetorRobertoSebastiànMata,LuigiPericle soonreachedapersonalsynthesisandanoriginalprocesofconstructionoftheimage, whichderivefrom afreeandvisionarythought.Theprotagonistsofhisimagesare hypnoticcharacters,mythologicalorsacredfiguresthatemergefrom thedeepofcolor. Inspiredbyman'sjourneystothemoonandhisfirstspatialconquests,Periclecombined hisinterestsandstudiesinastrology,orientalphilosophy,theosophyandanthroposophy withtheastralimageryofatimefascinatedbythethemeoftheskyandfrom other paralelrealities.
Movingfrom canvastomasonitesupports,theartistthenconceivedasignandauseofthe layerswhichbecamemoreandmoreintense,precise,almostFlemishintheperfectrendering ofvolumes. Hisstargatedoors,opentomechanicalcivilisations,haveshownonhissurfacesmysterious subjects,pyramids and moons,angels and prophets.His gesture created an opening,a pasagethroughthelimitsofthevisible,inthesameyearsinwhichLucioFontanabrokethe canvases,withhisfamous“cuts”. InthesamewayLuigiPericle’spaintingscrosedthephysicalspaceusinganimmaterial impulse.
Animportantpartofhisproductionislinkedtographicresearch;hisenergydrawnbyanimpulsive gesturelikeHansHartungandhedrippedsometimeslikeJacksonPolock,alwaysshowedanextraordinarygraphicinstinct,abriliantflashof thehandonpaper,theresultofaprocesswhichwasnotunconsciousbutrathertheresultofaprofoundexerciseofmeditationthatresulted intheactofdrawing.
Emergingfrom oblivion,todayLuigiPericleisatthecentreofagreatprojectofcriticalandphilologicalrevival.Plansforthestudy,restoration, conservationandcataloguingofhisartisticheritage-protectedbythe"LuigiPericleArchive"AsociationofAscona-form partofacomplex procesofrediscovery.LuigiPericle'sworksarekeptinthecolectionsofsomeimportantSwissandBritishmuseums.
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