Page 21 - Luigi Pericle_Beyondthevisible PRESS REVIEW_SHORT

Englishversion
Whohasseenhim? ThemysteryofLuigiPericle
Erudite,polishedandunconventional.IntheSixtiestheSwispainterusedtoexhibitwithPicasoandDubufetinLondon.Thentheoblivion.Anexhibitionis abouttorediscoverhim
Abandonedforaconsiderablelenghthoftime,sixteenyears,VilaSanTomaso-whichislocatedonthefootofsunnyMonteVerità,aboveAscona-wasboughtbya coupleoflocalhoteliers,AndreaandGretaBiasca-Caroni,inDecember2016.«Thegardenlookedlikeatangleofbranchesandbushes;theroofwasbrokenandmouldhad grownonthewalsurfaces»Gretaremembers.Inthebasement,thediscovery.Andreastates:«Sealedin35identicalwoodenboxes,therewereover3500drawingsand 250paintingsinperfectconditionwhichwereonlylookingforwardtoseeingthelight.
Whileonthebookshelvesvolumesonegyptology,Zenphilosophy,theosophywerelinedupalongwithdocuments,leters,astralcharts,horoscopes,magazineson ufology,homeopaticremediesandthenstacksofnotebooksmaniacalypackedwithJapaneseideogramsandarcansymbols».ItwasjustasifLuigiPericle(1916-2001)- anauthor,apainter,anilustratorandawriter-hadwantedtosafeguardeverysingledetailforthetimeofhiscomebackingreatstyle.Asamateroffactit’saquestionof retracinghissteps,sincePericlehadalreadyexperiencedfifteenyearsofsucesandfamebetween1962and1977.
ThehilofUtopia
BorninBaselfrom anItalianfamily(hisfathercamefrom Monterubbiano,intheMarcheregion)in1916,LuigiPericleGiovannetihadshowedacertaintalentfordrawing portraitsatayoungage.In1931,duetohisdisapprovaloftheteachingmethodsathisartschool,heabandonedhisstudiesandapproachedpaintingasanautodidact, developingacertainpassionforOrientalphilosophy.In1947hemariedthepainterOrsolinaKlaingutiwithwhom hedecidedtomovetoAsconaintheFifties.Hewas intenselyatractedbythemysticandspiritualatmosphereofthis“hilofUtopia”.Infactfrom the1900,AsconahostedthecommunityofMonteVerità.
Founded by Ida Hofmann (1864-1926)and HenriOedenkoven (1875-1935),itrepresented a meeting pointforanarchists,theosophists,poets,bohemians, anthroposophists,vegetarians,naturists,feministsandfreethinkersfrom almosteverywhere.ThisparticularplacehadbecomepopularthankstotheartcriticHarald Szemannandhistravelingexhibition
The breasts of truth in1981.InAsconaPericlenotonlyperseveredwithpainting,butparticipatedtothemeetingsonsacredandspiritualthemesguidedbyCarlGustav JungattheEranos.In1951Periclemadehisfirstappearanceasanilustrator:hiscomicstripMax-whoseprotagonistwasamarmot-waspublishedbytheNew Yorker editorMacmilanunderthenameofGiovanneti.ThecomicwasshortlyprintedinnewspaperssuchasWashington Post andHerald Tribune.1958markedtheturning point:Pericledestroyedalhisfigurativepaintingscreatedpreviously.Hisnew works - whichexpressedanabstract-informalstyle-wereboughtbyPeterGregor Staechelin,awelknowncolectorofPicasoandtheimpresionists.Theimportanceofthisfriendshipisprovedbytheirextensivecorespondenceatthetime.In1959 Staechelinhimselfgavehim VilaSanTomaso:intheThirtiesthishousewasownedbyNelWalden,thefoundatorofDer Sturm,theofficialmagazineon German Expresionism.
Mysticobsessions
Theseyearsarecharacterizedbyaparticularlycreativeeagernes.Paintingbecomesamedium ofself-awarenessforPericle:thekeywhichalowshim tounderstandthe mysteriesofexistenceandtocolectthemostpersonalinterpretationofhismindandsoul.Firstheexpreseshismysticobsesionsoncanvas,thenonmasonite, developingacomplextechniqueofdozensofglazings:hemanagestoobtainaperfectlysmoothsurfacewhichheusedtoscratchandcarverepeatedlyrevealingits deepestlayers.Ononehand,thisapproachremindsusofMaxErnst’sexperimentsongrattage,ontheotheritconnectsPericle’sartwithwhatispractisedinZen meditation.
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