The exhibition disclosing the secrets of the Italian periodo of the 16th-century enlightened visionary

Treviso- 24 ottobre 2015-10 aprile 2016

From Autumn to April 2016 the exhibition “El Greco in Italia. Metamorfosi di un Genio”. It is the most important retrospective ever seen in Italy to be dedicated to Doménikos Theotokópoulos, called El Greco. Through a selection of artworks and unpublished scientific hints, it will reveal to the great public the fascinating human and artistic adventure of the 16th-century master in our country. Here, discoveries, passions and encounters modelled his way of painting up to transforming him in the visionary genius who inspired high-level artists such as Picasso and Cézanne.
As a crowning achievement of the initiatives which have recently celebrated the fourth centenary from El Greco’s death (Toledo, 1614)both in Greece and Spain, his birth and adopted countries, respectively, finally, a tribute event to the great Cretan artist arrives in Italy, where he was trained.
The event is organised by Kornice by Andrea Brunello, with the collaboration of Art for Public and Fondazione Cassamarca, from 24th October 2015 at the exhibition centre Casa dei Carraresi in Treviso, until 10th April 2016, allowing the great public to admire El Greco’s artworks belonging to the decade 1567-1576 he spent in Italy.

The curator of the exhibition, professor Lionello Puppi, Emeritus of Ca’ Foscari, thanks to half a century of studies on El Greco, together with an international Scientific Committee of scholars from eminent Academies, namely Professor Serena Baccaglini, help in reconstructing the darkest period of the artist’s life, when he was in Italy. He thus involves the public in a stimulating debate on different research topics: from the artist’s religious belief to his political orientation, from his parental relationship to his classical studies, from his artistic preferences to the traces of his activity in Venice, Rome and central Italy.
Among the artworks to be highlighted a painting coming to Italy for the first time: “The Holy Family”, now in a private collection, with a regal provenance and a novel-like story.

The exhibition narrates a very adventurous life. As a matter of fact, El Greco was born in Crete in 1541, when the island was still under the rule of the Republic of Venice. At the age of 26, after showing extraordinary skills in using the typical style of traditional Byzantine icon painters, he moved to Venice, which was at the time a rich metropolis full of artistic excitement, searching for fortune. There he got in contact with Titian’s and then Tintoretto’s and Bassano’s workshops, thus remaining so thunderstruck as to change his way of painting and turning into an innovative and revolutionary painter from the icon painter he was.
Andrea Brunello, deus ex machine of the organisation of the exhibition he has strongly wished to bring to Italy, being fascinated by the original and charismatic personality of the artist struggling to the end for freeing his art, says: “Let me reveal that we are discussing with the production company to bring to Italy the film “El Greco” for the first time. It will be very exciting for visitors to have the opportunity to admire some of the artist’s main artworks, after discovering the engaging story of El Greco’s life, in a way that only cinematographic art and Professor Puppi, as a precious guide commenting some parts of the film, could narrate”.
Once in Toledo, El Greco painted his most impressive artworks: they were so modern, with their typical elongated and volume less figures, as to be rejected by Counter Reformation’s approval and then, during the Baroque period, falling into obscurity.

Follow the anecdotes and curiosities on the artist and the making of the exhibition on the Facebookpage called “Mostre-Treviso”, on Twitter and Instagram.

 

 

1 Comment

  1. lharrah042@aol.com'
    Larry Harrah
    13 January 2016 at 20:02 — Reply

    Can you provide information on this exhibition. Hours of operation and how to secure tickets ?

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