L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 I mmediate, expressive and highly communica- tive, graphic art is one of the oldest forms of artistic expression and, at the same time, one of the most contemporary. A few well- placed lines and colors can con- vey a message with remarkable clarity. Today, with extraordi- nary ease and frequency, we use another visual art form, digital photography, to capture, share and amplify the message of other creative expressions that were themselves made to be seen. Who, after all, has never photographed and posted a mural, a stencil or a piece of graffiti? Open-air painting, creat- ed as an immediate and spontaneous form of expression, has always held a powerful appeal. Yet this tradition reaches much further back. For centuries, Italy's Madonnari, itinerant artists whose origins can be traced to the Renaissance, covered streets and squares with images of extraordinary beauty. Using chalk, charcoal and other simple materials, they created elaborate works for a broad and varied public, often drawing inspiration from religious painting and the great masters of the past. Their images might display con- The thread connecting Italy's Madonnari to contemporary street artists From the Editor siderable technical skill, yet they were created to be experi- enced in the moment. The Madonnari took their name above all from the many images of the Madonna they drew on the ground, and their presence was traditionally associated with religious festivals, celebrations and pilgrimage sites. But these street artists also possessed a particular ability to make visual messages avail- able to everyone, even the most distracted passerby. Their work had another defining characteristic: its temporary nature. Rain, wind, or simply the feet of people walking past could erase in a short time something that had taken the artist hours, or even days, to create. That fleeting, provisional, even fragile quality never made the work less significant. Quite the opposite. The fact that the image was destined to disappear served as a reminder that art does not need to last forever in order to have value. The Madonnaro created first and foremost for the people standing before the work at that particular place and moment. To use the street as a canvas is to embrace art as a form of performance, capable of conveying the importance of the pre- sent moment. It also means imagining art as something acces- sible to everyone, without admission tickets and without the barriers that often separate visitors from works displayed in museums. The idea of an open-air gallery in which everyone becomes part of the creative event feels strikingly contempo- rary, and it is one that street artists and graffiti artists continue to put into practice today. Many contemporary artists use their work to address politi- cal, social and environmental issues, painting on suburban walls, subway trains and sidewalks. Their images may speak about war, inequality, immigration, poverty, civil rights, cli- mate change or consumerism, all on the premise that art belongs to everyday life. It does not remain enclosed inside a gallery; it enters directly into the lives of ordinary people. A passerby does not need to have chosen to visit an exhibi- tion. The artwork simply appears before them, inviting them to stop, look and interpret it. Banksy, perhaps the best-known example, uses stencil techniques to combine simple images with ironic or provocative messages, placing them directly in public view. His success shows just how important this kind of "social" art – free, unconventional, accessible and even share- able on social media – has become in contemporary culture. There is, then, even if we do not always notice it, a subtle thread connecting the Italian tradition of the madonnari with the graffiti and street-art culture that emerged during the twentieth century and that is still too often confused with van- dalism or urban decay. When it is genuinely artistic expres- sion, it has a purpose; it is not degradation. It is no coincidence that many cities have turned to murals as part of urban regeneration projects. Damaged walls and anonymous buildings, once transformed into large expanses of color, have helped revive entire neighborhoods, in some cases creating new cultural and tourist attractions. From colored chalk to spray paint, from stencils to digital techniques, street art has travelled through centuries of histo- ry while continually reinventing itself. It has moved from interpretations of religious subjects to representations of con- temporary social issues, yet it has always preserved its desire for direct contact with people. The street, after all, is not merely a place we pass through. It can also be a space for culture, dialogue and reflection. That is the real strength of street art: its ability to transform the spaces of everyday life into places that tell us something about society and, in doing so, invite us to look at the world with dif- ferent eyes. Simone Schiavinato, Editor Simone Schiavinato NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Member of FUSIE (Federazione Unitaria Stampa Italianaall'Estero), COGITO L'Italo-Americano Please send correspondence to P.O. Box 40156 Pasadena CA 91114 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano Newspaper (a 501(c)(3) non- profit organization), www.italoamericano.org, is the largest and longest-running Italian news- paper in America, not to mention the cultural and news resource for all things Italian in the US. A bilingual newspaper which represents an historical landmark for the Italian American Communities in the West Coast and throughout the US. L'Italo-Americano benefits from subsidies by the Italian Government, Memberships and Donations intended to support and not interrupt a mission that began in 1908 to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture in the USA Periodicals postage paid at Monrovia, California 91016, and additional mailing offices. PUBLISHER Robert Barbera Grande Ufficiale EDITOR IN CHIEF Simone Schiavinato ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Patrick Abbate EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Barbara Minafra COPY EDITOR Francesca Bezzone LOS ANGELES CONTRIBUTOR Silvia Nittoli SAN FRANCISCO CONTRIBUTOR Serena Perfetto SEATTLE CONTRIBUTOR Rita Cipalla CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mariella Radaelli, Matt Walker, Francesca Bezzone, Luca Ferrari, Stefano Carnevali, Paula Reynolds, Teresa Di Fresco Nicoletta Curradi, Generoso D'Agnese, Jessica S. Levy, Fabrizio Del Bimbo, Maria Gloria, Chuck Pecoraro, Anthony Di Renzo Serena Perfetto, Kenneth Scambray, Chiara D'Alessio, Luca Signorini, Giulia Franceschini © 2025 L'Italo-Americano Membership: One year $59 - Single copy $2.25 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to L'Italo Americano P.O. Box 40156 Pasadena CA 91114 Selling Homes Throughout The Bay Area Adele Della Santina "The Right Realtor makes all the di昀erence." 650.400.4747 Adele.DellaSantina@compass.com www.AdeleDS.com DRE# 00911740 Expert in preparation, promotion, and negotiation!

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