L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS t h e y w e r e t h e r e t o t e a c h people about Christ and His p r e c e p t s : i n t i m e s w h e n reading and writing were rich people activities, cate- chesis also passed through images. And it is in this very context that madonnari's work should be interpreted: their Madonne with child, their saints, were not only beautiful, ephemeral sym- bols of art, but also colorful lessons in spirituality. I n t h e w o r l d o f t o d a y , w h e r e a r t h a s b e c o m e a commodity for the wealthy a n d t a l e n t i s n ' t a l w a y s p r a i s e d a s m u c h a s i t s h o u l d , t h e f i g u r e o f t h e madonnaro is replete with romantic charm: madon- nari, in many a way, are the closest thing we have to the way artists have been and w h a t t h e y r e p r e s e n t e d throughout history: talent, geniality, freedom, and a bit of healthy anti-establish- ment attitude. Because the street is their atelier and they tend to happily disre- gard the self-obsessed world of established art, madon- nari are often considered a r t i s t i p o v e r i , y e t t h e y embody continuity with the past, and the sense itself of being an artist: living and breathing art and only art, c o n s c i o u s l y a n d h a p p i l y staying far from the com- mercial bandwagon. Some say madonnari are v e r y s i m i l a r , i n t h e i r essence, to cantastorie, sto- r y t e l l e r s , a n d I t e n d t o agree: both are closely con- nected to a very ancient, tra- ditional form of art, which today is, perhaps, no longer c o n s i d e r e d f a s h i o n a b l e . T h e y t e l l s t o r i e s t h r o u g h their work and they have a profoundly didactic role, often imbued with spiritual- ity. Their aura is timeless, just like their work, which transcends visual and liter- ary trends, and remains like t h a t , u n c h a n g e a b l e y e t a l w a y s - c h a n g i n g . W o r d s dissolve in the air, just like chalk dissolves in time and water, ephemeral nature to types of art that, in truth, are etched in people's mind more deeply that any paint- ing, because they touch the spirit, and that's where they remain. I n d e e d , t h e a i m o f madonnari is to offer art in its immediacy and to every- one: in this, of course, their work is popolare, because there is no ticket to get, nor fee to enjoy it. Because if it's true that art can cure the soul, then we should all have a c c e s s t o i t , a t a l l t i m e s , without limits or charge. Today, the art of madon- nari remains lively in Italy, where there is even a school, the Scuola Napoletana dei Madonnari, created with the aim of keeping alive a n d p a s s i n g o n t o f u t u r e generations the tradition of e x t e m p o r e p a i n t i n g , o f artistic creation "on the go," on streets and pavements in every town and village. The school was founded in 2006 by Gennaro Troia, who has been working hard to bring the art of madonnari also into art academies and schools, to create awareness and attract new talents. Not all artists, however, may be ready to accept the momentary nature of their w o r k , t o s e e t h e i r e f f o r t w a s h e d o f f b y d u s t , t h e passing of time and rain. Others, however, recognize the real magic of art lies in the emotions and changes it causes in one's soul: this isn't fleeting nor erasable, it remains. A s o f t o d a y , a b o u t 6 0 artists are involved in the S c u o l a N a p o l e t a n a d e i Madonnari's projects, oper- a t i n g b o t h i n I t a l y a n d abroad: their aim is also to raise awareness of the inher- ent artistic value of their work, which is often consid- ered "illegal," just like that o f g r a f f i t i a r t i s t s . E x c e p t i o n m a d e f o r Naples, where a city council r e g u l a t i o n f r o m 2 0 1 4 includes madonnari among the category of street artists, which means they can work without fear of being fined. Modern arte madonnara is no longer solely associat- ed with religion and spiritu- ality, it includes a variety of t h e m e s a n d t e c h n i q u e s . Gennaro Troia, founder of the Scuola Napoletana dei Madonnari is, for instance, known internationally for 3D art painting, a style using tromp l'oeil, a tech- n i q u e k n o w n a n d u s e d already in the Renaissance, to create the optical illusion o f d e p t h , d i s t a n c e a n d shape. M a d o n n a r i e v e n h a v e their own yearly festival, the F i e r a d e l l e G r a z i e i n Curtatone, Mantova. The first edition of this interna- tional street painters' com- petition took place in 1972 and it was, just as it is today, integrant part of the cele- brations for the Assumption o f M a r y , o n t h e 1 5 t h o f August. On the occasion, a r t i s t s f r o m a l l o v e r t h e world flock over to partici- pate and present their work. Indeed, the art of madon- nari doesn't belong to the Belpaese only: while original m a d o n n a r i , a s w e s a i d , established themselves in Renaissance Italy, the mod- ern idea of street painting is probably more associated with Great Britain, where street artists have been pop- ular and common since the end of the 19 th century. In t h o s e y e a r s , a b o u t 5 0 0 artists in London lived off street painting, and some years later, in 1906, the first street painting festival toke place in the city. I n m o r e r e c e n t t i m e s , madonnari got connected with other forms of artistic expression, including fash- i o n . I n 2 0 1 6 , D o l c e & G a b b a n a h a d s e v e r a l madonnari working in front of their boutiques around I t a l y a n d t h e w o r l d t o launch their collection and to give visibility to what they consider an important artis- t i c r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f o u r country. If you are interested, you can enjoy madonnari and street painting on your side of the pond, too, with festi- vals held each year in Santa Barbara, California, Lake W o r t h , F l o r i d a a n d Monterrey, Mexico. Continued from page 4 The Wise Kings visiting the Holy Family, as viewed by a talented madonnaro (Photo: Enzodebe/Dreamstime) Madonnari, in many a way, are the closest thing we have to the way artists have been and what they represented throughout history: talent, geniality, freedom, and a bit of healthy anti-establishment attitude. A colorful detail of a madonnaro painting (Photo: Memedesimo/Dreamstime)

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