I don't know, for the moment, where this could bring me, but I've just
decided to start working on Pinocchio. Pinocchio as an "icon". Let's see
what I discover...
Thursday, 16 February 2012
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Ignorance and Prejudice - no more!
The best thing is starting the day with learning something. This is even better if you can completely change your mind and understand where you were wrong.
Today I went to Spazio Forma, Milan, because I wanted to see the expo of Robert Mapplethorpe work. I was completely ignorant about the man and the work. Moreover, I went there full of prejudice.
Even the first room, containing his first shots of his friends and lovers was not telling me that much. Not to talking about his self-portrait with whip rammed up in his you have clearly understand what.
But then, something happened -I don't know whether in his life or just in the exhibitions- and even the most pornographic shots started becoming -to me- the real research of perfection.
No matter for the numerous still-life about the male you have clearly understand what: that's perfection, and now I'm convinced about this.
He was born in 1949, in Queens. He got his first Polaroid in 1970. He died in 1989.
Everything stay in the middle of these dates. Perfection is the fil rouge of all his work.
He was looking for something that could be a sculpture, no matter for the subject (flowers, nudes, children, friends, actors…) the body is at the center. Even in his still-life research of flowers you can clearly see the power of the nature, that humanizes the subject. So flowers and you have clearly understand what do have the same weight in his work and for the results he obtains. Simply amazing… nothing to add.
Spazio Forma is a wonderful center for Photography, obtained from part of a space once used by the Milan Public Transport Society. You can still see the modern part of that, still working, from a tall and narrow window in the main room. It's always a strange but interesting effect when you are brought back to reality by that. It's like a pause in your artistic walk through the pictures.
Good exhibition,
Good space,
Good morning - spent there!
Today I went to Spazio Forma, Milan, because I wanted to see the expo of Robert Mapplethorpe work. I was completely ignorant about the man and the work. Moreover, I went there full of prejudice.
Even the first room, containing his first shots of his friends and lovers was not telling me that much. Not to talking about his self-portrait with whip rammed up in his you have clearly understand what.
But then, something happened -I don't know whether in his life or just in the exhibitions- and even the most pornographic shots started becoming -to me- the real research of perfection.
No matter for the numerous still-life about the male you have clearly understand what: that's perfection, and now I'm convinced about this.
He was born in 1949, in Queens. He got his first Polaroid in 1970. He died in 1989.
Everything stay in the middle of these dates. Perfection is the fil rouge of all his work.
He was looking for something that could be a sculpture, no matter for the subject (flowers, nudes, children, friends, actors…) the body is at the center. Even in his still-life research of flowers you can clearly see the power of the nature, that humanizes the subject. So flowers and you have clearly understand what do have the same weight in his work and for the results he obtains. Simply amazing… nothing to add.
this should be "Thomas" 1987
Spazio Forma is a wonderful center for Photography, obtained from part of a space once used by the Milan Public Transport Society. You can still see the modern part of that, still working, from a tall and narrow window in the main room. It's always a strange but interesting effect when you are brought back to reality by that. It's like a pause in your artistic walk through the pictures.
Good exhibition,
Good space,
Good morning - spent there!
Monday, 13 February 2012
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
The undisclosed price of free-art.
Today I went to the Triennale di Milano, one of our best museums (after the already mentioned PAC).
I wanted to see an exhibition about women skin, seen through art and science. Not bad, you could think; the approach is for sure uncommon. And so I thought, why not going?
As soon as I arrived there, I discovered it was free. In my mind this always sounds like a possible swindle, talking about art exhibits, but I anyway entered "the curve" (a part of the museum hosting the show).
The introduction tables, hanging on the entrance, were enough clear about the strategy: the presentation was made possible thanks to sponsors, very famous, that were P&G and Boots Laboratories.
The idea for this project is very simple and subtle: we show you a lot of "skin", artistically talking, and we inform you about the importance of that, from the philosophical, ethical, historical, scientific points of view. Oh, yes moreover, Boots Lab has taken care of your skin for more than 160 year… and still continues now with dedicated lines of products always renewed.
Well, I said, that's ok, let's see what happens…
The path to follow was organized in sections, each taking care of a precise aspect of the skin world, starting with the first baths and skin-care products (all coming from the Boots archives) and then introducing, little by little, the artistic skin, the painted skin, the tattoos, the photographed skin and the "pop" skin reproduced and colorized by Warhol. There was at least one piece for each artistic age, and they were all good pieces.
There was also a video tunnel, where horror scenes involving skin were showed. This was linked to the italian way of saying: "far accapponare la pelle per la paura". It's something like "it gives me gooseflesh", when you are scared by something. All the sections played with Italian sayings related to the skin. We have a lot of proverbs like that (enough to make an exhibition like this...).
I could see, for free, masterpieces by Rodin, Toulouse Lautrec, Balla, Savinio, R. Lichtenstein, Mimmo Rotella, Fontana, Warhol, Andres Serrano, Vanessa Beecroft… but these are only few names!
There was also a section dedicated to the skin as the organ for the touch and, from that, the organ for seeing (for blind people). This part was little but tremendous. There were the books used by the Milanese Institute for Blind People, written in the Braille way. And also gypsum reproductions of great paintings, the only way to "see" art at least through the touch. Those things really gave me gooseflesh, I can assure you.
I was very happy for the time spent inside "the curve". There was even the possibility to take a picture of you, to be shown on a wall before the exit and leave a trace of you there. But for the first time I declined this kind of offer. I was already satisfied by the done experience.
But then, when I completely forgot about the sponsors, here they were again… there was a glazed cabinet, completely filled with Boots products.
It was exactly like waking up by falling down your bed.
This is the undisclosed ticket of the sponsored exhibitions!
I wanted to see an exhibition about women skin, seen through art and science. Not bad, you could think; the approach is for sure uncommon. And so I thought, why not going?
As soon as I arrived there, I discovered it was free. In my mind this always sounds like a possible swindle, talking about art exhibits, but I anyway entered "the curve" (a part of the museum hosting the show).
The introduction tables, hanging on the entrance, were enough clear about the strategy: the presentation was made possible thanks to sponsors, very famous, that were P&G and Boots Laboratories.
The idea for this project is very simple and subtle: we show you a lot of "skin", artistically talking, and we inform you about the importance of that, from the philosophical, ethical, historical, scientific points of view. Oh, yes moreover, Boots Lab has taken care of your skin for more than 160 year… and still continues now with dedicated lines of products always renewed.
Well, I said, that's ok, let's see what happens…
The path to follow was organized in sections, each taking care of a precise aspect of the skin world, starting with the first baths and skin-care products (all coming from the Boots archives) and then introducing, little by little, the artistic skin, the painted skin, the tattoos, the photographed skin and the "pop" skin reproduced and colorized by Warhol. There was at least one piece for each artistic age, and they were all good pieces.
There was also a video tunnel, where horror scenes involving skin were showed. This was linked to the italian way of saying: "far accapponare la pelle per la paura". It's something like "it gives me gooseflesh", when you are scared by something. All the sections played with Italian sayings related to the skin. We have a lot of proverbs like that (enough to make an exhibition like this...).
I could see, for free, masterpieces by Rodin, Toulouse Lautrec, Balla, Savinio, R. Lichtenstein, Mimmo Rotella, Fontana, Warhol, Andres Serrano, Vanessa Beecroft… but these are only few names!
There was also a section dedicated to the skin as the organ for the touch and, from that, the organ for seeing (for blind people). This part was little but tremendous. There were the books used by the Milanese Institute for Blind People, written in the Braille way. And also gypsum reproductions of great paintings, the only way to "see" art at least through the touch. Those things really gave me gooseflesh, I can assure you.
I was very happy for the time spent inside "the curve". There was even the possibility to take a picture of you, to be shown on a wall before the exit and leave a trace of you there. But for the first time I declined this kind of offer. I was already satisfied by the done experience.
But then, when I completely forgot about the sponsors, here they were again… there was a glazed cabinet, completely filled with Boots products.
It was exactly like waking up by falling down your bed.
This is the undisclosed ticket of the sponsored exhibitions!
Saturday, 4 February 2012
The unbearable lightness of Cezanne
After a long period of uncertainty, I finally decided to visit the exhibit "Cezanne" @ Palazzo Reale, Milano.
I won't speak about the Great Painter, since I haven't the right competences to do that, nor the interest in add something to all has been already written.
I'll talk about what I found there and what I learnt.
First of all, I must admit that I've found the will to go, despite the quite expensive ticket, only because I could use my brand-new "fidelity card" issued by the FAI, the Fondo Ambiente Italiano. This card allowed me to take advantage of the special reduction for the FAI members.
Then, I went there because I was very curious to see Cezanne not only on books or by Google. It was a (too) long time since I last saw a true one! Moreover, this summer I read a book on Francis Bacon, ONLY WORDS - NO IMAGES, that was amazing. It's "The logic of sensation" by Gilles Deleuze, talking of Bacon for half the book, and of Cezanne for the remaining half. I went crazy not being able to follow all the mentioned paintings, by both the Masters…
Even if I'll have to read that book at least other 6 times before understanding everything inside that, I well got the main message: No Cezanne, no Bacon (let's avoid all the possible culinary puns, for a while).
I loved the book, and that's why I really wanted to go deepened with my "aesthetically research".
It was a sudden decision going there. Once inside the rooms, I found quite a little exhibition compared to what I was expecting, but good - I suppose. Again, I'm not an expert, but the space was well organized following the different "ages" of Cezanne, demonstrating all the efforts he made in becoming what he was. It seemed like a effective summary of his career, with few but meaningful pieces.
The first paintings of the young Master, please excuse my childishness, where quite embarrassing. It was a kind of art nuveau mixed with the best advertising of the period. But considering that Mr Cezanne Father was against the artistic career of his son, Cezanne Junior did the best he could, basically learning by himself.
Then, there were macro-pictures of his studio near Aix-en-Provence, making you the feel like being inside the true one, no matter for the B/W colors. This section created a division between a certain "before and after". Passing "through the studio" you enter the section of the best Cezanne, the one of the Nature seen as nobody ever did before.
I loved all the portraits of his friends - I can bet they were very new for his contemporaries. There where also the still-life paintings, so physical but balanced, powerful.
As usual, it's all about colors: colors that makes everything, the world around us, the volumes and the surfaces. Always changing, nothing is immobile, even on Cezanne canvas.
And here there is a thing I really noticed and convinced me to write this review: have you ever looked at the frames of the drawings? I mean, the wooden ones, more or less decorated…
Frames always reflect the true age of a paint, far beyond the authors intentions.
Who decides the frames for a drawing? For sure Cezanne knew he was new, "futuristic", not understood by most of his contemporaries. He described himself as a painter of the next generation! So what's the problem?
I think is the following: look at the image.
(Taking pictures was forbidden, so I used my bad-quality phone to feel less guilty).
The fact that a revolutionary style as the one of Cezanne was framed by shells and flowers, I think it's amazing. It's true that Cezanne tried, for a long time, to be respected and accepted by the academicians, but there is surely a short-circuit in this juxtaposition. The frame is old, and Cezanne is new, too new for that.
And you know what? No matter the "framer", I think you can really understand Cezanne only if it is contained by that kind of gorgeous and flowered mounting.
The proof is in the following bad photo. It was a watercolor.
Is this still a Cezanne? For sure it is, but in my opinion, even if the frame could result more "apt" for the style (linear, simple, wooden and somehow cold) that mount weakens the painting.
The unbearable modernity of Cezanne, in my opinion, do need a old-style frivolous support.
I won't speak about the Great Painter, since I haven't the right competences to do that, nor the interest in add something to all has been already written.
I'll talk about what I found there and what I learnt.
First of all, I must admit that I've found the will to go, despite the quite expensive ticket, only because I could use my brand-new "fidelity card" issued by the FAI, the Fondo Ambiente Italiano. This card allowed me to take advantage of the special reduction for the FAI members.
Then, I went there because I was very curious to see Cezanne not only on books or by Google. It was a (too) long time since I last saw a true one! Moreover, this summer I read a book on Francis Bacon, ONLY WORDS - NO IMAGES, that was amazing. It's "The logic of sensation" by Gilles Deleuze, talking of Bacon for half the book, and of Cezanne for the remaining half. I went crazy not being able to follow all the mentioned paintings, by both the Masters…
Even if I'll have to read that book at least other 6 times before understanding everything inside that, I well got the main message: No Cezanne, no Bacon (let's avoid all the possible culinary puns, for a while).
I loved the book, and that's why I really wanted to go deepened with my "aesthetically research".
It was a sudden decision going there. Once inside the rooms, I found quite a little exhibition compared to what I was expecting, but good - I suppose. Again, I'm not an expert, but the space was well organized following the different "ages" of Cezanne, demonstrating all the efforts he made in becoming what he was. It seemed like a effective summary of his career, with few but meaningful pieces.
The first paintings of the young Master, please excuse my childishness, where quite embarrassing. It was a kind of art nuveau mixed with the best advertising of the period. But considering that Mr Cezanne Father was against the artistic career of his son, Cezanne Junior did the best he could, basically learning by himself.
Then, there were macro-pictures of his studio near Aix-en-Provence, making you the feel like being inside the true one, no matter for the B/W colors. This section created a division between a certain "before and after". Passing "through the studio" you enter the section of the best Cezanne, the one of the Nature seen as nobody ever did before.
I loved all the portraits of his friends - I can bet they were very new for his contemporaries. There where also the still-life paintings, so physical but balanced, powerful.
As usual, it's all about colors: colors that makes everything, the world around us, the volumes and the surfaces. Always changing, nothing is immobile, even on Cezanne canvas.
And here there is a thing I really noticed and convinced me to write this review: have you ever looked at the frames of the drawings? I mean, the wooden ones, more or less decorated…
Frames always reflect the true age of a paint, far beyond the authors intentions.
Who decides the frames for a drawing? For sure Cezanne knew he was new, "futuristic", not understood by most of his contemporaries. He described himself as a painter of the next generation! So what's the problem?
I think is the following: look at the image.
(Taking pictures was forbidden, so I used my bad-quality phone to feel less guilty).
The fact that a revolutionary style as the one of Cezanne was framed by shells and flowers, I think it's amazing. It's true that Cezanne tried, for a long time, to be respected and accepted by the academicians, but there is surely a short-circuit in this juxtaposition. The frame is old, and Cezanne is new, too new for that.
And you know what? No matter the "framer", I think you can really understand Cezanne only if it is contained by that kind of gorgeous and flowered mounting.
The proof is in the following bad photo. It was a watercolor.
Is this still a Cezanne? For sure it is, but in my opinion, even if the frame could result more "apt" for the style (linear, simple, wooden and somehow cold) that mount weakens the painting.
The unbearable modernity of Cezanne, in my opinion, do need a old-style frivolous support.
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Pixar, 25 anni di animazione
Today I visited the exhibition "Pixar, 25 anni di animazione" after sending that again for months. It's held at the PAC, in Milan, and will close on February, 14th 2012.
I think it was tremendous, something of value and -but this is my very personal opinion- another dead on target of this museum.
I don't know if start talking about the museum itself, designed by Ignazio Gardella starting from the 1951, or about the exhibit.
The first thing I've to say is: children fully enjoy 1/5 of the stuff, that is basically the "cinema zone" with videos and two super-puppets from Monster's&co movie. I suppose they are "full size", even if I've never had the pleasure to meet a true monster.
The remaining 4/5 it's a pleasure for adults interested in graphics, cinema, computer animation and art. And this is the point: this IS art, as it is well explained in the free explanation paper (a b/w photocopy on a so thin sheet that I had to hide myself from the lights and the screens, avoiding the transparency effect mixing both the sides).
Okay, it has been first presented at the Moma and this is only a stage of this worldwide traveling show, but I really would like to know if it had been explained that well as they did here in Milan. I challenge anyone! (and please let me know if I'm talking nonsense).
What is art? This is the main issue of the presentation. What's contemporary art? Art is moving fast and, as it is explained in the above-mentioned paper, bravely.
Well, considering the traditional Italian art and the current confused artistic Italian panorama, brave is the correct term HERE, even if in the rest of the world that's NORMALITY.
Translating the text: <Contemporary art is thrusting itself forward up to the computer animation> giving us a good example of our times, exploring the controversial relation between man and machine, <where man is adopting mechanical behaviors and machines human features, trying to emulate the human body>.
Despite this J. Baudrillard-style introduction, I half agree with this: for sure technology is increasing and humans relaxing, but I think that here we can see very good pieces of art, in all its traditional forms (drawings, paintings, statues) and in the most futuristic ones (there is also a Samsung-sponsored wall of fake I-pad, where people can enjoy a section of the exhibition, without caring for Mr. Jobs contribution to Pixar…).
This is art because, as the paper explains <there are stylistic recalls to authors, places, classics of art and music>. It is art because it looks for progress, continuing researches started in the past, such as the spatial conquer of perspective in the Renaissance.
I think this is art because the framed drawings are great, well done, deeply studied, in the most humanistic ways, and I don't want to seem to exaggerate while saying that I thought of Leonardo's sketches, watching those showed here.
Painting has always anticipated reality and architecture, from very ancient times (just think about Giotto's Storie di San Francesco).
Pixar has been studying in dept places, sceneries, cities and probably is anticipating what's expecting us. For sure, movies such as "Wall-E" are highlighting issues that we cannot ignore (and I'm talking not only of the supposed Earth future, but also that of the extra-size humanity living in the Axiom space-ship).
Rack up for the Zoetrope of Toy Story - funny construction made of little statues that, moving round very fast and being correctly lighted, gives you the idea of an animated scene.
Very good also the Artscape -which I previously indicated as "cinema zone", enjoyed by children, but adults as well, with a wide wide-screen showing the artistic process in the Pixar studios.
If you take the occasion to come here, save 7.00€ from "Montenapo" golden quadrilateral and spend those for entering the PAC: it's near that and it hosts great and clever exhibitions.
All the explanations are in Italian AND English (rare "bird" in Italy).
[Pixar images taken from PAC website]
I think it was tremendous, something of value and -but this is my very personal opinion- another dead on target of this museum.
I don't know if start talking about the museum itself, designed by Ignazio Gardella starting from the 1951, or about the exhibit.
The first thing I've to say is: children fully enjoy 1/5 of the stuff, that is basically the "cinema zone" with videos and two super-puppets from Monster's&co movie. I suppose they are "full size", even if I've never had the pleasure to meet a true monster.
The remaining 4/5 it's a pleasure for adults interested in graphics, cinema, computer animation and art. And this is the point: this IS art, as it is well explained in the free explanation paper (a b/w photocopy on a so thin sheet that I had to hide myself from the lights and the screens, avoiding the transparency effect mixing both the sides).
Okay, it has been first presented at the Moma and this is only a stage of this worldwide traveling show, but I really would like to know if it had been explained that well as they did here in Milan. I challenge anyone! (and please let me know if I'm talking nonsense).
What is art? This is the main issue of the presentation. What's contemporary art? Art is moving fast and, as it is explained in the above-mentioned paper, bravely.
Well, considering the traditional Italian art and the current confused artistic Italian panorama, brave is the correct term HERE, even if in the rest of the world that's NORMALITY.
Translating the text: <Contemporary art is thrusting itself forward up to the computer animation> giving us a good example of our times, exploring the controversial relation between man and machine, <where man is adopting mechanical behaviors and machines human features, trying to emulate the human body>.
Despite this J. Baudrillard-style introduction, I half agree with this: for sure technology is increasing and humans relaxing, but I think that here we can see very good pieces of art, in all its traditional forms (drawings, paintings, statues) and in the most futuristic ones (there is also a Samsung-sponsored wall of fake I-pad, where people can enjoy a section of the exhibition, without caring for Mr. Jobs contribution to Pixar…).
This is art because, as the paper explains <there are stylistic recalls to authors, places, classics of art and music>. It is art because it looks for progress, continuing researches started in the past, such as the spatial conquer of perspective in the Renaissance.
I think this is art because the framed drawings are great, well done, deeply studied, in the most humanistic ways, and I don't want to seem to exaggerate while saying that I thought of Leonardo's sketches, watching those showed here.
Painting has always anticipated reality and architecture, from very ancient times (just think about Giotto's Storie di San Francesco).
Pixar has been studying in dept places, sceneries, cities and probably is anticipating what's expecting us. For sure, movies such as "Wall-E" are highlighting issues that we cannot ignore (and I'm talking not only of the supposed Earth future, but also that of the extra-size humanity living in the Axiom space-ship).
Rack up for the Zoetrope of Toy Story - funny construction made of little statues that, moving round very fast and being correctly lighted, gives you the idea of an animated scene.
(Zoetrope)
Very good also the Artscape -which I previously indicated as "cinema zone", enjoyed by children, but adults as well, with a wide wide-screen showing the artistic process in the Pixar studios.
If you take the occasion to come here, save 7.00€ from "Montenapo" golden quadrilateral and spend those for entering the PAC: it's near that and it hosts great and clever exhibitions.
All the explanations are in Italian AND English (rare "bird" in Italy).
[Pixar images taken from PAC website]
Monday, 23 January 2012
Graphic for my... "ship's log"
Okay, considering that I'm Italian is not the right moment to think about "ship's log", but this is something I MUST finish quickly, since it's a long time I'm working on that.
Nothing special: I'm only preparing my little book/diary of this summer US trip. It was my sister and I, prowling about US, visiting relatives there (wonderful enlarged family).
I wrote everything day by day, inserted pics in all the pages but... I needed something to introduce every city I visited, starting from Milan.
These are each chapter covers - let's say.
I decided to work on a very simple graphic, very similar to the most common indication involving the little human shapes.
Double issue:
° how to represent my sister and I in a general , turistic, generic way?
° how to "zip" a city in few symbols?
Nothing special: I'm only preparing my little book/diary of this summer US trip. It was my sister and I, prowling about US, visiting relatives there (wonderful enlarged family).
I wrote everything day by day, inserted pics in all the pages but... I needed something to introduce every city I visited, starting from Milan.
These are each chapter covers - let's say.
I decided to work on a very simple graphic, very similar to the most common indication involving the little human shapes.
Double issue:
° how to represent my sister and I in a general , turistic, generic way?
° how to "zip" a city in few symbols?
The wedding of my cousin Shannon - no way to symbolize the place, I did the event.
Clothes are FAITHFUL
CHICAGO
DC
JIM THORPE (PA)
MILAN - the starting point
NYC
PHILLY
PITT
...and then (p)back home...
Precious Pics
A friend of mine linked me this website with incredible photos from the no-go-zone in Fukushima.
I think this is very important, beside being something really worth seeing.
The photographer is Pierpaolo Mittica.
I also remember you that on March, 11th 2012 it will be exactly one year from the tsunami.
Not to forget this...
ps. for the Italian friends: I suggest you also the book "Tsunami nucleare" by Pio d'Emilia
http://blog.wired.it/otakunews/2011/06/09/tsunami-nucleare-tohoku-banzai.html
pps.for the friends coming from Milan: you'll find that at Hoepli Bookshop
I think this is very important, beside being something really worth seeing.
The photographer is Pierpaolo Mittica.
I also remember you that on March, 11th 2012 it will be exactly one year from the tsunami.
Not to forget this...
ps. for the Italian friends: I suggest you also the book "Tsunami nucleare" by Pio d'Emilia
http://blog.wired.it/otakunews/2011/06/09/tsunami-nucleare-tohoku-banzai.html
pps.for the friends coming from Milan: you'll find that at Hoepli Bookshop
Saturday, 7 January 2012
Friday, 6 January 2012
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