L'Italo-Americano

SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano F rom Raphael to Tit- ian, Parmigianino to Gentileschi, 40 mag- nificent works of art from southern Italy's largest museum arrive in Seattle this month. Flesh and Blood: Italian Masterpieces from the Capodimonte Museum opens at the Seattle Art Museum October 17 and runs through January 26, 2020. Flesh and Blood offers a rare opportunity to see works of art c r e a t e d n o t o n l y b y I t a l i a n Renaissance and Baroque mas- ters, but also by French and Spanish artists working in Italy at the time. The show includes 39 paintings and one sculpture, R a p e o f a S a b i n e b y Giambologna. "We jumped at the opportuni- ty to bring this exhibit to Seattle a u d i e n c e s , " s a i d C h i y o Ishikawa, SAM's Susan Brot- man Deputy Director for Art and Curator of European Painting and Sculpture. "About two years ago, MondoMostre, an Italian exhibit planning service, visited us here in Seattle and left some materials behind. When we saw t h i s p r o j e c t , w e w e r e b l o w n away." The proposition was further sweetened when SAM curators found they could tailor the list of artwork to curate a show that would specifically appeal to contemporary American audi- ences. To help bring the show to the US, SAM reached out to the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. Last November, the directors and curators of b o t h m u s e u m s t r a v e l e d t o Naples to work out the details. T h e N a t i o n a l M u s e u m o f Capodimonte is one of Italy's largest museums with an impres- sive but under-visited collection. B u i l t a s a h u n t i n g l o d g e b y Charles III, King of the Two Sicilies (Naples and Sicily), it was used to house the extensive Farnese collection after Charles inherited it from his mother in 1735. The collection was expanded over time and by the 18th centu- ry, the pink-and-grey palace was an essential stop on the Grand Tour for young aristocrats. In 1861, after Italian unification, the palace was owned by the house of Savoia, and in 1920, it was donated to the Italian state. Its extensive gardens and woods, which overlook the city and bay of Naples and cover more than 330 acres, were recognized in 2014 as Italy's most beautiful park, cited for their historical, architectural and botanical her- itage. Most of the paintings on dis- play at SAM feature portraits drawn from mythology or reli- gion. The themes are dramatic and the lighting, theatrical. "The c a n v a s e s a r e h u g e , " s a i d Ishikawa. "When you see them in person, their size is intimidat- ing. Many were painted to be a l t a r p i e c e s , s o t h e y w e r e designed to be large and hang over the viewer. The figures are life-sized which means you can e x p e r i e n c e t h e m o n a m o r e physical level." Flesh and Blood explores the intersection of physical and spir- itual existence with an emphasis on the human body – whether it's expressing love, depicting violence, representing suffering or portraying physical labor. " I t ' s a t o u g h s h o w , " s a i d Ishikawa, "and the art does not shrink from the theme. There is graphic violence on display but there is also great spirituality and tenderness. You cannot help but s e e h o w c o n t e m p o r a r y t h e s e paintings are. I was struck by how great artists who address human themes can remain so current even centuries later." One example of that is Judith B e h e a d i n g H o l o f e r n e s b y Artemisia Gentileschi. One of t h e m o s t c e l e b r a t e d f e m a l e artists of the Baroque period, Gentileschi was known for her d r a m a t i c s c e n e s f e a t u r i n g w o m e n f r o m t h e B i b l e o r mythology. In the painting on view, Gentileschi depicts the s t o r y o f t h e J e w i s h h e r o i n e Judith caught in the act of slay- ing the general Holofernes who was threatening to destroy her v i l l a g e . T w o s t r o n g y o u n g women are holding down the general, focused on their grisly task, their sleeves rolled up and the general's blood running red over the white sheets. "This is an unflinching por- trait of a woman taking revenge on a man who threatened her," said Ishikawa. "It's a horrifying painting. You can almost feel the physical force it would take to behead someone. It's not surpris- ing that this image has become associated with today's #MeToo movement. The murder is seen a s a r i g h t e o u s r e s p o n s e t o a threat." Another painting, Massimo S t a n z i o n e ' s M a s s a c r e o f t h e Innocents, depicts the Biblical story of King Herod ordering the murder of all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two in an attempt to kill the infant Jesus. "This painting shows you the mothers' anguish as they try to protect their children," said Ishikawa. "You can almost feel the tension in their upraised hands. It's easy to draw parallels between these mothers and par- ents today at the Mexican border who are separated from their children." A total of 24 Italian artists are presented in Flesh and Blood with works displayed chronolog- ically from the 16th through the 18th centuries. In addition to Gentileschi and Stanzione, SAM visitors will also find artwork by Raphael, Parmigianino, Titian, Annibale Carracci, Bernardo C a v a l l i n o a n d G u i d o R e n i , a m o n g o t h e r s . P h o t o s o f t h e works and essays are available in the companion 160-page exhibit catalog. Seattle residents and visitors can take advantage of an ongo- ing array of public programs, docent tours, art workshops and more offered throughout the exhibition run. A free communi- ty celebration will be held on October 17 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. that features live music, perfor- mances and art-making projects. More information at www.seat- tleartmuseum.org. Chiyo Ishikawa, Seattle Art Museum deputy director for art, worked with the Italian exhibit service MondoMostre to bring "Flesh and Blood" from the Capodi- monte Museum in Naples to Seattle (Scott Areman) Italian masterpieces travel to Seattle Art Museum this fall RITA CIPALLA

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