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Venice,animportantexhibitiononLuigiPericleattheFondazioneQueriniStampalia:it’sthe.rst stepofthecriticalrediscoveryofhiswork
From the11thofMaytothe24thofNovembertheFondazioneQueriniStampalia(Venice)wilbehostinganimportantretrospectiveexhibitiondedicatedtoLuigiPericle (LuigiPericleGiovanneti,Basel1916-Ascona2001),anartistwhohasrecentlybeentheprotagonistofarediscovery,aswehadpreviouslyannouncedonthesepages someweeksago.Inhislifetimetheartist-whowasborninSwitzerlandfrom afamilyofItalianorigins(Marche)-wasappreciatedbymanyofthemostremarkable internationalpersonalitiesoftwentieth-centuryart:from thecolectorPeterG.StaechelintoSirHerbertRead(trusteeoftheTateGalery),from themuseologistHansHess (thecuratoroftheYorkArtGalery)totheownersoftheartgaleryArthurTooth&SonsinLondon.IntheSixtieshisartworkswereexhibitedinaloftheselocationsalong withthoseofAppel,Jorn,Tàpies,DubufetandMathieu.Periclewasthenforgotenforalongtime,alsobecausein1965,afteranimportanttravelingexhibitiontouring variousEnglishmuseums,heunexpectedlywithdrew toprivatelife.Yet,hekeptonworkinginisolationamongtheartistsofthecommunityinMonteVeritàinthe neighborhoodofAscona,wherehehadarivedwithhiswifeOrsolinaKlaingutintheFifties.
TodayLuigiPericleisattheheartofagreatcriticalandphilologicalrecovery:theremarkableprojectofstudies,restoration,conservationandcataloguingofhisartistic heritage(safeguardedbytheAsociation“ArchivioLuigiPericle”)hasastandingpointintheVenetianinitiativetobearangedinthesameperiodastheVeniceArt Biennale2019.ThisisthefirststepofamultifacetedprocesofvalorizationwhichaimstoreconsiderPericle'swholeproduction.Theaim istorevealhim tothegeneral publicandgivehim backtheplacehedeservesinthehistoryofart.Thisexhibitionproposes50artworksincludingpaintingsoncanvasandmasonites,besidesink drawingsonpaperfrom theSixtiesandSeventies.Thelaterarisefrom theartist’sunwearyingstudyontheposibilitiesofpainting:consideringspontaneoussignasa manifestationofinnerforcesandaform ofvisionaryresearchcariedoutthroughthemosthiddenlevelsofconsciousnes.Moreover,thefurnituredesignedbythegreat architectCarloScarpa-whogiveshisnametotheexhibitionareaonthegroundfloor-wilbehostingoriginaldocuments,excerpts,handwritennotes,analysisexercises anddiarypages,alongwithothergraphicworkswhicharemeanttoexprestheversatilepersonalityofthisman,anartistandathinker,tothepublic.Inaddition,the paintingsloyaltoavarietyoftopicswilbeexhibitedaccordingtoachronologicalcombinationofthemes:pyramidsandclocks(MarchofTime),doorways(MatriDei), moons,golems,archangels,monsters(WoodDemonoDerHüterDerSchwele).ThelaterremindsusofFranciscoGoya’sconceptof“sleepofreason”thathowever triggersnew insightstolookintotheunknown.
“A painter,anilustrator,ascholarandanal-aroundintelectual”-onecanreadintheintroductionoftheexhibition-“LuigiPericlewasinfluencedbytheosophyand esotericdoctrinesandtookpartintheculturaldebateencouragedbytheseleaningsoverthecentury.PericlebreathedthemysticairofMonteVeritàwhich,from the dawnofthe1900s,usedtohosttherenownedcommunityfoundedin1900byIdaHofmannandHeinrichOedenkovenabovetheHilofUtopia,wheretheEuropean “counter-culture”ofthetimehadestablished.Thisisexactlywhere,startingfrom theThirties,theintelectualadventureoftheEranos’meetingstookshape:these encounterswerepromotedbyCarlGustavJung(whoseRedBookhasbeenrecentlyrediscoveredandexhibitedattheVeniceArtBiennalein2013)andbytheDutch theosophistandpainterOlgaFroebe-Kapteyn”.
“Thevolumesofliterature,philosophy,Egyptianart,theosophy,astrologythatclusteredhislibrary”-aswriteninthepresentation-“servedtoquenchPericle’sversatile thirstforknowledge,themiraculoussourceofaninspirationthatwasnotconfinedtopaintingbutrather,entrustedtwothousandsofdocumentsthatunveilaplethoraof horoscopes,ufologyesays,notebooksrichinquotesandJapaneseideograms,cosmicsymbols,Chinesemedicineandhomeopathicrecipes”.AccordingtoPericle,“Art reflectsman’sspiritualinclinationandislikeaninstrumentendowedwithclairvoyance;artalwayshasthepresentmentoffutureevents.”Hisimagerywasthusenlivened withhypnoticfigures,visionaryscenarios,alienworlds,stargatesopentowardsmechaniccivilizations.Notonlyapainter,butalsoafreethinkerandawriterwhowaseven ableto“givelife”toasciencefictionnovelsetinapostatomicdystopianworld(aftertheoblivionthistypewritenliteraryworkhasrecentlyemergedtoo).
ThisexhibitioniscuratedbytheartcriticandhistorianChiaraGatiincolaborationwithMarcoPasifrom theUniversityinAmsterdam (UvA)andtheEuropeanAssociation fortheStudyofReligions(EASR),MicheleTavolafrom theGaleriesofVeniceAcademyandLucaBochichio,directoroftheJornHomeMuseum ofAlbisola,AdAC UniversityofGenoa.Theprojectisrunundertheauspicesof,amongothers,theStateCounciloftheRepublicandCantonofTicino,CultureandUniversityStudyDivision (DECS),SwissConfederation,ConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandinMilan,theMonteVeritàFoundationinAsconaandtheEranosFoundationinAscona.Thecatalogueis publishedbySilvanaEditorialepublishers.
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