L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 C inema and creativity. The combination can only be perfected when a touch of mastery is added that knows how to mix knowledge as well as art and craftsmanship. Then amateurism becomes mastery. Art, craftsmanship and creativity are sectors which have always been associated with Italians, and have characteristics of excellence that often decline in the interpretation that great Italian names had once been able to give. Over time, the ability to create a school-based aesthetic sense has shifted from the traditional field of classical art to the more modern one of the seventh art, just as craftsmanship has become a refined and innovative taste, concerned with the details that make a difference in the work of a stylist. But the idea of beauty paired with talent, which dates back from the Renaissance all the way to 2017, is the result of a long journey and a patient patchwork of experiences, as well as a lot of study and effort, that can turn a talent into something more. Like a rough diamond that acquires value when cut. It's refined. Not to mention that the artistry that is capable of transforming something handmade into a one-of-a-kind original rather than simply duplicating another piece is the result of work that is both a collective achievement of experiences and techniques improved over time and consolidated by practice, and results in individual improvement which is both a personal gift and a legacy, a heritage of work, and popular culture. Beauty and skill don't fall from the sky like an inexplicable downpour of frogs. They were mastered with sacrifice, passion, study, labor, a lot of work and will. Creativity is also well planted in the ground. It is made of materials, objects, instruments, and definite concrete balances that only a rigorous technical preparation can lift, refine and transform into a masterpiece. There is no apology or unproductive self-celebration in putting the charisma of many successful Italians or Italian-Americans on the front page. The work that L'Italo-Americano is trying to do in every edition is to put the focus on the commitment behind it. "The scenery is born as an ephemeral art, but has realistic Italian art, craftsmanship and creativity is no accident: It is the result of preparation, hard work and perseverance From the director implications, it feeds on fantasy, but to endure it must rely on documentation and artistic culture, that is why, to the guys who ask me what they need to do to undertake this profession, I always recommend studying and taking interest in the various disciplines of art, just like the ones taught at the Academies in Italy." As Dante Ferretti said, who—along with his wife, Francesca Lo Schiavo—won three Oscars for Best Art Direction, and the Honoris Causa diploma in Scenography at the Academy of Fine Arts in Turin last January, "When I have to design scenes," he explained, "I'm immersed in research," or rather, the finished product is born from studying hundreds of drawings, documents, books and photographs of those eras and characters, from envisioning places and historical and social contexts. Being able to transform every part of the set into translatable material, accessible to everyone, from the imagination of the director and, at the same time, being able to use drafts, sketches and objects to fix the iconography of a film is the result of a profound, long, laborious and difficult work of integration. Just to mention two very distinct directors who worked with Ferretti, Fellini and Pasolini, the masterpieces that made them great were not born because they just turned on a camera. Their artistic genius was the result of the hard work they put in each and every day. Since 1969, Ferretti has worked as a set designer on hundreds of films, lyrical productions and projects for television, museums, fashion, festivals and publications. Each work has put on and continues to put a pin into ladder leading to the next result. It is possible for the public to dream after so many years because every day the plant of creativity is fed, nurtured, curated and cultivated. The professions of cinema, art, theater, craftsmanship, fashion and creativity prevail when they are constantly supported, indeed it would be necessary to say fed, satiated, because there is a constant demand for nutrition that comes in large part from the one who works in that field, and by those who enjoy it, both needing continuous and regenerating stimuli. At the same time, it's not that everything Italian is automatically synonymous with beauty. There is a culture and a taste for beauty that for centuries, fortunately, has accompanied the formation of those who live in the Belpaese but it is only the constant work, and the continuous commitment, that in ever-new forms is able to transform a simple knowledge or ability into the capacity for excellence and in achievements capable of earning more than an Oscar. Simone Schiavinato, Director NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS

• Cover