Page 17 - Luigi Pericle_Beyondthevisible PRESS REVIEW_SHORT

Englishversion
Intheshadow ofMonteVerità
A realdiscovery.LuigiPericlehadbeenlivingandworkinginAscona,intheCantonofTicino,inamysticandshelteredatmosphereduringthesecondpost- warperiod.Hewasanilustrator,acartoonistandalsoapainter.Thislastpartofhislifehasonlyrecentlyarisenwithanimpressivelypoignantstrength
Neverletanybodytakethe20thCenturyarthistoryasadefinitelysetledandsteadytopic.Inthecomingyearswewilobserveaseriesofnatural,economic,spiritualand ethicphenomenawhichwilsubvertthe curentvalues.Somepersonalities–whoaresilentatthemoment–wilunveilthemselvesandsomenew horizonswilget unexpectelydisclosed.Ifthishappens,itwilbepartlyduetothehumanprocessintermsofcriticreviews,whoseadaptationtothepastisconnectedtoavariatonof curentsensitivity.Moreoversomecolections–whicharenow intheshadow cone-wilcometolight. Thereisandtherewilbeacertaininclinationtowardsanarcheologyofthepresent;sometimesthiscuriositydeservesarewardgoinghandinhandwiththeanarchic approach.Sometimesyouonlyneedtopressabutoninordertoletademonleapoutunexpectedlyfrom adustyboxwhichbestrepresentourgoodsandminds.For exampleintheliterarycontextthepersonalityofGuidoMorselihasonlyveryrecentlyappearedascomplexandsurprising:awriterfrom Bolognawhocommitedsuicide attheageofsixtyinVaresein1973andbecamefamousonlywhenthewel-knownpublishinghouseAdelphidecidedtopublishhisposthumousworks.Onecouldnot statethathedidn’treceiveanyatentionatalinfew esotericliterarycircleswhenhewasalive,althoughhedidn’thitthemasaudience.Now MorseliisamythofItalian literature. Apparently,monteVerità–whichisahillocatednearAscona,ontheLakeMaggiore–spreadsaspecialmagneticfieldwhichcanbeevennoticedbyairplanesand compasneedleswhileflying.ThissecretenergygivesCantonofTicinoaparticulartensionwhichmodifiestheusualpacificlifestream ofthosewhoaresosensitiveto perceiveit.Ahandfuloffreeexperimentalspiritsgatheredtogetheronthefootofthathilbetweenthelate19thcenturyandthedawnofmodernity.Theyusedtocome andvisittheanarchistBakunin-whohadfledfrom hishomeland-andCarlGustavJung,thepsichoanalystwhohadgonetherefrom Basel.Thehilevenshelteredartists whowereagainsttheGreatWar:theyformedanotheritchygrouprangingfrom HansArp–duetohisbirthinStrasburghewasn’tquitesureifmakingwartotheFrench ortotheGermans–toYvanGol,whowasaoddAlsatianrefugee-writer.LaterthissmalgroupmovedtoZürichinordertofoundtheDadagroupattheCabaretVoltairein 1916.
SotheCantonofTicinobecameashelter.HermanHese(1877-1962)wasborninCalw (Baden-WRrtemberg,insouthernGermany)andmovedtoMontagnola(Cantonof Ticino)after1919inordertospendhislatestyearsthere;hehadjustpublishedThe Return of Zarathustra inGermany.Althoughhismostfamousworkwascertainly Siddhartha, an Indian tale whichwaspublishedin1922afterhisreflectionsinthisquietcorneroftheworld,fulofhiddenphilosophicandartisticimpulses.Duetohis dissidencetowardsthehookedcrosGermany,atthetimehechosetoliveinexileforalongperiodandultimatelyreceivedtheNobelPrizeinLiteraturein1946.Ascona suitedhim:ontheMonteVeritàoneusedtoexerciseunexpectedfreedom andcultivatetheosophicthoughtswhichwereextremelyclosetothesameEasternmythology heusedtostudyduringhisexile.Ontheotherhand,notsofaraway,inEngadina,GiovanniSegantinihadrepresentedotherIndianmythsinhissnow paintingsinthelast yearsofthepreviouscentury. ThecurioushistoryandtherecentrediscoveryofLuigiPericle–whowasborninBaselin1916anddiedinAsconain2001–arepartofthesamehistoricandgeographic context.ThelifepathofHeseisparaleltotheoneofPericlewhostrivedforisolationinthefogofhumankindunderthetrachycarpus,theHimalayanpalm trees,inthe gardensofthetwentieth-centurybuildingswhichfacetheSwisbankofLakeMaggiore.ThesameplacejustwherealsoErnestHemingwaylandedwithhisA farewell to arms in1918.Pericle,soonafterhismariage,feltatractedtothiscozysoutherncornerintheNorth:theGothardroadistheonlyonethatcantakeyoufrom Baseltothe sunandtofreecreativity.
MaybePericle’spoeticinspirationcomesfrom thisdoublelifechoice.AtthetimeBaselwasdevelopingoneofthemostactiveartscentresinEuropeconcerningtheart galeryofErnstBeyeler.Hewasdefinitelyanuncommonpersonality:hestartedhiscareerasanantiquarianbookseler,thenhefocusedonJapaneseprintsandfinalyhe establishedhimselfasaprofessionalofthemostefectivemodernartdealtwiththepost-warperiod.In1951,thankstoSwisbanksfundings,Beyelerintroducedthe DavidThompson’scopiouscolectionofmodernart.HewasapassionateEuropeanartcolectorinPitsburghandhadaspecialfondnesforKleeandKandinskij.Then BeyelerbecameadearfriendandoneofthepurchasersofPicaso’sworks.Baselturnedintooneofthenetworkingfulcrumsinthefieldofcontemporaryart. Baselhasalwaysbeengroundedandmoderateandanaturalycosmopolitancity.It’sexactlywhereduringthefirstWorldWarRudolfStaechelin–thesonofawealthy constructionentrepreneur-developedamodernartcolectionposiblyenviedbymorethanonemuseum,sinceitgatheredworksofartfrom VanGoghtoHodler,from SisleytoPicasso. EvenMarkTobeyarivedinBaselin1960.HewasonethemostbizareAmericans:aMinimalistartistwhofoundinspirationinJapanesecaligraphyandusedtocreate smalartworksonpapercaledTexturologies.HewasacommitedtheosopistwhoreceivedtheawardattheVeniceBiennalein1958.Heneverwantedtogobacktothe States.
Periclebreathedthesameairandobtainedinspirationfrom thisenvironment.HemovedtoAsconawithhiswifeandlivedinahousekindlyprovidedbyStaechelin.The exclusiveandesotericexperimentationoftheGoetheanum foundedbyRudolfSteinerinDornach,nearBasel,inthe20smatchedMonteVerità.Periclelethimselfbe cariedtofareasternmythswhichhetriedtointerpretandinnovate.Hecariedoutawholepersonalcosmogonyonhisown.Heeventrainedhimselfinadoptingagradual p ro c e s s o f c la rifi c a tio n w h ic h g o e s fro m fi g u ra tiv is m to th e re p re s e n ta tio n o f p u re , a u th o m a tic s ig n s . Pericle’sbiographyappearstobeshortandclear,sinceithasnotbeensurveyedyet -asithappenstothosewhohaven’texperiencedspotlightsandsuccesintheir lifetimes.HehadworkedasanilustratorandhiseconomicachievementwasduetotheinventionofMaxtheMarmot,theprotagonistofacomicstripwithoutcartoon bubbles.HispaintingactivitystayedmysteriouslyhiddenwhilewritingBis Ans Ende Der Zeiten (Till the End of Times).HisearthlylifeendedinSummer2001.Now the Pandora’sboxhasbeenreopened.
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