Page 37 - Luigi Pericle_Beyondthevisible PRESS REVIEW_SHORT

Asapainter,anilustrator,ascholarandanal-aroundintelectual,LuigiPericlewasaversatilemanwithseveralinterests.Todayitstilremainsdifficulttoclassifyhiswork sinceheunveiledtobebothaprofesionalartistandatalentedcartoonist.Oneonlyneedstorecalthatin1951heinventedMax,thewel-knownmarmotwhichgained internationalfameinEurope,intheStatesandeveninJapan.InthecourseofhisMaxstage,asortof“secondlife”aroseduringtheSixtiesandtheSeventieswhen Periclebegantodedicatehislifetoabstract-informalart.Sincehisartworksexpresedreflectionsonhisinstinctivestyle,theywere“manifestationsofinnerforcesanda form ofvisionaryresearchcariedoutthroughthemosthiddenlevelsofknowledge”.Infacttheimagesofhisartcomefrom literature,philosophy,theosophy,Egyptian artandastrology.It’sakindofculturalmixthatminglestheEastandtheWestandgivesbirthtoaworldofsingularfiguressuchaspyramids,clocks,doorways,golems, monstersandarchangels.TodayweareabouttoencounterPericleinVenice.AtthemomenthisartworksareexhibitedintheFondazioneQueriniStampaliauntilthe24th ofNovember-thefirstretrospectiveexhibitiondedicatedtohim afterdecadesofoblivion.Thisexhibition,entitled“LuigiPericle.Beyondthevisible”iscoordinatedbythe ArchivioLuigiPericleinAsconaandcuratedbythearthistorianChiaraGatiincolaborationwithLucaBochichio,MarcoPasiandMicheleTavola.Thetitlereferstothe quotationinatextwritenbyHansHesforanexhibitionin1965:whileexplainingthepoeticsofthisartist,HansstatesthatPericlegoes“beyondthevisible”.This precisedefinitionmusthaveappeared“absolutelyrevealing”tothecurators’eyesinordertoefectivelyoutlinethisartist'strueesence.Thisexhibitionpresentsabout fiftyworksoncanvasandmasonitebesidesthebeautifulIndianinkdrawingsonpaperfrom theSixtiesandSeventies,thennotes,excerpts,analysisexercisesanddiary pages.Inaddition,therearesomeextremelyinterestingdocumentssuchastheleterwritenbythepainterHansRichter(dated31stMarch,1970)toTakashiYamamoto, directoroftheTokyoGalery(Japan).InthistextRichteraffirmsthathehadrecentlyvisitedasolitaryartistwhoseworkwasabsolutelycaptivatinganddeservedtobe acknowledged.Onourexhibitiontour-arangedsensiblyandelegantlyinthebeautifulroomsrestoredbythearchitectCarloScarpa-weareexclusivelyguidedbythe curatorChiaraGatiwhopresentsPericle’sfirstworkofart:abigmountainrisingfrom thegroundthatlookslikeasortofantennawhichlinksearthlyandheavenlymoods. ChiaraGatiexplainstous:«Thisconnectionofearthandsky,humankindandspirituality,isthefil-rougeofthewholeexhibition».Whileweapproachtheroomsin FondazioneQueriniStampalia,weareputinthehandsofamysteriousworldandfeeltotalyovercome.Thesceneryofhisartispervadedwithspiritualityandcatching imageswhichappeartobefamiliaralthoughwehavenevercomeacrosthem before.Thereferencesoftheseartworksaremultiple;thematerofPericle’sartchanges overtheyears:initialythepaintlooksthickbutthenitbecomesmoreliquidasifwalkingonapathtowardshyperealism whichisastonishinginalaspects.Anothermerit ofthisartistishistalenttobreakdownculturalbarierscreatingamixture-asChiaraGatiremindsusagain-whichrangesfrom Africanfetishestomechanicmonsters. Thesynthesisofhisartischaracterizedbyrecuringimageswhicharesometimesgatheredundertheumbrelaof“MaterDei”,thegreatMother.Itiseasytoperceivethe influencebyDubufet,TàpiesandMata,maybeLiciniandGiacometitoobutmostcertainlybyBasaldelaandDova.Acordingtothisconceptualdooropeningtoanew dimension,wecan’tdowithoutwonderingaboutthereasonswhy,atsomepoint,LuigiPericleabandonedpainting.Paintingitselfapparentlydidnotsuceedingivinghim theanswershewasseekingtonourishhisongoingsearchforspirituality.Whatremainsisawholeproductionoffascinatingworksofartwhichmakesusthinkweare exceedingourownlimitstoreachouttoanothermysteriousdimensionwhichmightnotbesupposedtobeencounteredbyeveryone.Thecatalogueisalsoparticularly remarkablewithitstextsandimagesandwherethecolaborationoftheArchivioLuigiPericlewithDECSisexpresed.«Morethanthis,Beyondthevisibleisthefinal,but notultimate,outcomeofaprojectrichinrendezvousandideasbroughtforwardbyAndreaandGretaBiasca-CaroniwiththeCultureandUniversityStudyDivision».We canfindanintroductioninthevolumebyRafaelaCastagnolaRosini,directorofCultureandUniversityStudyDivision.«Arelationshipbetweenprivateindividualsand publicbodiesthathaspavedthewaytoanin-depthresearchonthearchivalmaterialrelatedtoLuigiPericleandpreservedinAscona.Todaythedetailshavebeensealed inapublicationofacatalogue».So,hereistheworldofLuigiPericlearisingfrom theroomsinQueriniStampaliainVenice.Adialoguethatbringsbacktoourdaysoneof
theprotagonistsoftheabstractinformalperiodwholivedinthesecondhalfofthe1900s.
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