L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 www.italoamericano.com 6 "The Ar t of Costumes", from Teatro di San Carlo to San Francisco: a touch of the Italian Opera in the Bay Area It all started back in 2013, when Italians and Americans dedicat- ed an entire year to the Italian Culture in the United States. San Francisco and the Bay Area have also been part of the cele- b r a t i o n s , w i t h a v a r i e t y o f e v e n t s t a k i n g p l a c e i n t h e city. Among others, the Italian Opera has become very popular and the raising interest has led t o i n i t i a t i v e s w h i c h h e l p e d strengthen the partnership with various local institutions, eager to either build or keep a connec- tion with the Italian heritage. One great example is the rela- t i o n s h i p b o r n b e t w e e n t h e Teatro di San Carlo of Naples a n d t h e A c a d e m y o f A r t University: through the Unite the Two Bays project, Naples has tried to build permanent avenues for cultural and eco- nomic exchanges with the Bay Area. The first idea turned into reality through an exhibition called "Treasures of Naples - Teatro di San Carlo": launched to raise money and bring the orchestra and the chorus of the Teatro di San Carlo from Naples to San Francisco, it was also a m o m e n t t o h o n o r G i u s e p p e Verdi's 200th birthday. T h e p e r f o r m a n c e o f V e r d i ' s Requiem in October 2013 was indeed the final moment of a journey among Italian history and culture, which also included an exhibit featuring costumes, jewels, and tapestries from the Neapolitan Opera House. As known, the Teatro di San Carlo Historical Collection dates back to the end of the 18th century and the theatre itself has been recognised as the oldest continu- ously active venue for public opera in Europe. A s t h e y e a r c a m e t o a n e n d , organisers considered the new- born connections so valuable that they tried to keep them also in the future. Nevertheless, after a few months, in April 2014, the c o s t u m e s a n d t h e a r t e f a c t s brought to San Francisco were donated to the Academy of Art University, which took a step forward in making the 'gift' even more exceptional. «The Academy of Art has had a long term partnership with the Italian Institute of Culture. We have several shows during our semesters as well as abroad pro- grams to Italy every summer when, during the seven and half weeks, students paint, draw, and learn history and architecture» said Charles Pyle, Director of School Illustration, during the "The Art of Costumes" exhibi- tion opening. And continued: «Then, Alessandro Squitti, who works at our school and knows Paolo Barlera very well, heard that shipping back those cos- tumes to Italy would have been i n c r e d i b l y e x p e n s i v e . W h i l e Paolo was trying to figure out a better purpose for the costumes, Alessandro said: "We have the place to put them, we have three semesters of costumes at School o f I l l u s t r a t i o n . " T h a n k s t o A l e s s a n d r o , t h e c o s t u m e s became a fabulous addition to our university collection». Why is this initiative so rele- vant for the Academy? «We have been teaching cos- tume figure drawing since 1996. The idea is to be on the look out for great costumes which allow our students tell stories. Opera and illustrations have a lot in common: the opera is the distil- lation of stories, sounds, and dress design. When someone steps out on the Opera stage, the SERENA PERFETTO world comes out from the char- acters' mouth. If you are a good illustrator, you'll be able to show, through your drawing, exactly the same thing without the sound». What's the value the costumes represent for your students? « F o r o u r s t u d e n t s , t o h a v e access to these costumes and what they represent - three cen- turies of Italian Opera - means t o h a v e a c c e s s t o h i s t o r y o f fashion, costume construction and to learn character design. These costumes are so magnifi- c e n t t h a t w e c a n o n l y b e d e l i g h t e d t o h a v e t h e m . W e d o n ' t d r a w t o s t r i c t l y c o p y things, we draw to understand them, how they tell stories and how to interpret starting from them. With my iPhone, I can take better pictures than what my students draw. But the pic- t u r e i s m a i n l y t o r e c o r d t h e facts; instead, if they draw a t h i n g o r a p e r s o n , t h e l i t t l e exaggeration, the emphasis on the scene, all the little things make the characters come to life. That's the magic, that's the interface of the artist interpret- ing that world». Which kind of experience do you want to give to visitors? «I want everyone to appreciate interpretative graphics, I want people to come and look at pic- tures that speak of great art on stage, great costumes, to know t h a t t h i s i s t h e e c h o o f t h e Opera. Any photograph, any drawing of the theatre experi- ence is a silent echo and allows suspend reality and accept the magic of the Opera. And these costumes represent a long term visual vestige of that moment. Most people want to buy these drawings because they like the diversity, the capture of charac- ters, the facial expressions, and the variety of techniques. If you take just three of them, they probably show the same thing, but each will come with a dif- ferent, unique voice.» 'The Art of the Costume' exhi- bition opens, until January 9, Monday through Friday (10am - 4:30pm) at the Italian Institute of Culture, 814 Montgomery Street, San Francisco. Exhibit curators and students together during the opening at the IIC Through Jan. 09, 2015- 'The Art of the Costume' The costu- mes donated by the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples were put to good use by AAU students, who made drawings of each other wearing these historical costumes, jewels and other accessories. Exhibition opens Mon-Fri, 10-4:30 at Italian Institute of Culture (814 Montgomery Street, San Francisco). For information (415) 788-7142 Through Jan. 31, 2015- The Beautiful Cliché, pictures from Venice by Italian photographer Renato D'Agostin. Exhibition opens Mon - Fri: 10am-6pm; Sat:10am-4pm at Leica Gallery (463 Bush Street, San Francisco). For informa- tion (415) 801-5066. Dec. 13 & 14, Sat. & Sun. - Italian Athletic Club Christmas Dinner (Sold Out) and Children Christmas Party. Music fur- n is h ed b y I l S ole w ith S teve A lbini and Tatiana Semichastnova. 1630 Stockton St., San Francisco, CA 94133. Information: (415) 781-0165. Dec., 18 – Thurs. - Il Cenacolo Meeting. Group Discussion with Special Guests: The Merrie Olde Christmas Carolers. All meetings held at San Francisco Italian Athletic Club. For info call (415) 781-0165. Dec. 17, Wed. - Cinema and Jazz: Gianni Amico Three short films about jazz by Amico and Maccioni. Come and see three short films about jazz by and about the film direc- tor, documentary filmmaker, screenwriter and cultural pro- moter Gianni Amico (1933-90), a unique and eclectic figure in I talian cin ema. Italian C ultural Ins titute of S an Francisco Info http://www.iicsanfrancisco.esteri.it. For infor- mation: (415) 788-7142 Students from the Academy of Art University wearing costumes from the Teatro di San Carlo

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