Art

It was a bright day, one of those where the air seems to shimmer with a special kind of magic, when my mother took me to Museo Leone in Vercelli for the first time. I was six, maybe seven years old, and I still vividly remember the excited heartbeat as we crossed the threshold of that seemingly enchanted place.Today, decades later, I stand once again before that discreet, studded door that had captivated me as a child. My now more mature heart beats with the same enthusiasm as back then. I cross the threshold, immediately enveloped by a sense of…

As I made my way to an appointment at the "Parlamentino" located in Palazzo Pasta, I found myself with some time to spare and decided to visit the nearby Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, drawn by its history and the promise of revealing centuries-old secrets through its architecture. Upon entering, I was greeted by the unmistakable scent of ancient stone, a mix of dampness and incense that enveloped me like an invisible cloak.My gaze was immediately drawn to the holy water font at the entrance. Its surface was smooth, polished by the countless hands of devotees who, over the centuries,…

In the historic center of Florence, within the venerable walls of the Bargello Museum, lies a priceless treasure of art: Andrea del Verrocchio's "Resurrection of Christ." This emblematic work of the Italian Renaissance continues to be a masterpiece, despite its less-than-ideal state of preservation. Its absence from the exhibition "Verrocchio, Master of Leonardo" at Palazzo Strozzi, which concluded on July 14, 2019, was a significant loss for art lovers and scholars.The risk associated with transporting the work, given its fragility, made the decision not to move it a wise yet painful one. It's impossible not to think of the fate…

In a quiet room of the Museo Leone in Vercelli, known as the "Sala delle Cinquecentine," an intimate dialogue unfolds not between people, but between guitars and observers. This is the exhibition "The Singing Wood," where artisanal craftsmanship meets personal history. Of the twenty-six guitars on display, six come from the personal collection of the renowned Maestro Angelo Gilardino, known not only for his compositions but also for his research on instruments capable of translating the poetry of his musical visions into sound.The remaining twenty guitars, kindly loaned by passionate collectors like Lorenzo Frignani, custodian of the Gilardino Collection, and…

Viewing the works of Gian Franco Saviolo, exhibited at the Studio Dieci Gallery in Vercelli, opens up a universe where the ordinary becomes extraordinary, where the discards of a consumer society find new life and meaning. This is not just an exhibition; it is an ode to the resilience of human imagination, a visual narrative where each piece tells the story not only of its former function but also of its artistic rebirth. In a fast-paced world dominated by the new and the immediate, there is an artist who delves into the past, into what has been discarded and forgotten.…

In the shadow of historical relics, Museo Leone in Vercelli was momentarily transformed into a modern temple of photographic art with the opening of the "Kouros" exhibition. Leading this artistic rite was the lens of Salvatore Giò Gagliano and the spirit of model Marco Canella. The exhibition unfolds in a dialogue between two expressive modes: the fleshiness of color and the contemplation of black and white. The color photographs, displayed in the Hall of Hercules, speak the language of today—a language you can almost feel with your fingertips. It's the texture of skin, the palpability of emotions, the vulnerability of…

From a young age, my initiation into the world of painting took place among the pages of illustrated books that filled the shelves of our home library, a treasure trove of knowledge and beauty that my father, himself a painter, had carefully curated. I was around six or seven years old when I discovered the joy of lying on my bed, picking up a volume dedicated to a renowned painter or an exhibition catalog, and letting myself be transported into the adventures depicted on those pages.Among my favorites were the Flemish landscapes, full of that dark and mysterious charm where…

April 25th is a symbolic date in the Christian church, dedicated to the commemoration of Saint Mark the Evangelist, a figure deserving attention not only for his fundamental role as one of the four evangelists but also for the profound cultural and historical impact he had on cities like Venice. Born around 20 AD, possibly in Israel or Cyprus, Saint Mark died in Alexandria, Egypt, in the second half of the first century.Saint Mark is universally recognized as the author of the Gospel of Mark and is venerated as the patriarch and first bishop of Alexandria by the Coptic Church,…

Carlo Crivelli: San Giorgio (1472) (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) On April 23rd, we celebrate Saint George, the patron saint of numerous groups tied to military and chivalric traditions. These include Archers, Knights, Soldiers, Halberdiers, Armorers, and more. Even Scouts and Guides see him as their protector. This saint is easily recognized in artistic representations by his distinctive attributes: the dragon, elegant armor, the palm of martyrdom, the banner with a red cross on a white background, and, of course, a princess.Saint George is famous not only for his style but also for his role as a dragon slayer,…