Florence: Sandro Giuliani's exhibition "L'estro de Le Rivolte", the painter of witches, opens

“The inspiration of Le Rivolte” it's the title of the exhibition by the Florentine artist Sandro Giuliani (passed away in August 2021) who was inaugurated in the CA Ciampi exhibition space of Palazzo del Pegaso (via de' Pucci 16).

The following intervened: Cristina Giachi President of the Culture Commission, Cristiano Benucci regional councilor, Ugo Barlozzetti art critic, Alessandro Sarti, author of the documentary “Sandro Giuliani: the painter of witches”, Martha Adele Landise artist's wife and Carlo Boni mayor of Pontassieve.

"A multifaceted artist through experimentation and numerous trips abroad – he wrote in the catalogue Antonio Mazzeo President of the Regional Council – He developed his art in many directions, from xylography to oil painting, arriving at wood and ceramic sculpture in his maturity. Sandro Giuliani uses the artistic sign to give shape to what cannot be seen, seeking the deep connections that connect distant worlds. The meaning of his works goes far beyond simple visual representation. His works are dominated by the colours red and black, to represent the clash between good and evil, portrayed in paintings rich in symbols and images transfigured in a dreamlike manner and, in the positive sense of the word, also extravagant.”

 

“The exhibition on Sandro Giuliani puts us in front of the art and production of a painter from our territory – he said Cristina Giachi President of the Culture Commission – who however for the richness of the colours, the iconography, the design tells a universal reality, transcending places of belonging. There is a lot of Tuscany in the materials used and then there is the world, the inspiration of the invisible, the shamanic and esoteric cultures, a universal scenic layout that gives us absolutely suggestive works. An exhibition that is absolutely worth seeing, it is not simply a Tuscan painter of manner, we are faced with a genius loci, a genius of the place that he painted pursuing the universality of his inspiration and his spirit, he completely absorbed his land, but arriving at a unique and original poetic creation. "

"An exhibition that brings to Florence the genius, creativity and art of Sandro Giuliani – said the regional councilor Christian Bennucci – an artist who lived in Pontassieve, but who he expressed a painting of great poetry and research. His works bring a piece of our land to the heart of Florence, to the place of art and beauty.”

“After the great tribute we gave with the exhibition 'Giuliani in piazza' – said the mayor of Pontassieve Carlo Boni – today we have the opportunity to show his works in the most beautiful city in Italy. Also a way to recognize how much this artist has given to our territory, becoming an identifying feature, his works are often found in commercial establishments and houses in Pontassieve. So being in Florence with an exhibition by Sandro Giuliani becomes a very significant event.”

 

"A sign of refined culture that recovers and interprets Ensor, Magritte and Klee, that is, the language of great Masters, – said the critic Ugo Barlozzetti – to develop his own world where surreal fascinations converge in a sort of dreamlike expressionism, rich in references to legends or to an interpretation of the sacred and nature, this in an oxymoronic way thanks to the supernatural, with irony that finds in the domestic and everyday atmosphere a moment of rare human solidarity. The centrality of Giuliani's inspiration and research is that of the fantastic and the magical, with the citation of witches and shamans, with prehistoric roots, from the point of view of a cultural anthropology, linked to agriculture, which is definitively disappearing, replaced by ephemeral and substantially destructive values ​​of the human. Giuliani's is perhaps a different ancient, in fact it draws deeply from an even truer creatureliness and without the contribution of specific studies on aesthetics. he has arrived, through Art, in direct confrontation with Nature, thanks to the experience of 'doing', to insert the imaginary as the Montalian "ghost who saves" in the search for a new humanism for future generations. "

"'Nothing else is needed, here is the painting action!'. When he uttered this phrase, Giuliani transmitted to you all the strength of the soul of a true artist – said the director Alessandro Sarti - Like this we want to pay homage to a pure man, one of our fellow citizens of Pontassieve, who made the courageous choice to honestly live art in his own way, without half measures or compromises. The documentary I made about Giuliani is set in a beautiful but difficult to reach place, an old water mill where Giuliani had decided to live with his family. The artist chose this refuge to live away from the city, for reasons of privacy and to stay in contact with nature. I was fortunate to be able to tell this extraordinary story of a great artist who lived in the Val di Sieve, with the help of his wife, daughter, friends and institutions."

 

“I believe this is the first step to make Sandro Giuliani's art known to the world – said the widow Martha Adele Landise - And We believe he deserves to be known for the originality and richness of his workWe chose inspiration in the title, because it is a word that perfectly describes Sandro is an author who goes beyond the rules and cannot be catalogued, his spirit roams freely in the world of art. "

“Our story, from the dawn to the last days. His legs were shaking, his sight was failing him; a very thin thread remained; only experience and love were dragging him to his study. – recalled the daughter Sarah Adele Giuliani – and Giuliani continued to create until the end. Finally, almost blind, bent over his 'operating table', he reaches a finesse that only poetry linked to the end of an entire life can convey.. "

The exhibition will continue until November 9th with the following opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 10 to 12 and from 15 to 19; Saturday from 10 to 13.

Author biography

Sandro Giuliani (Florence, 20 February 1948 – 14 August 2021) was a Florentine painter, sculptor, engraver and graphic artist. Graduated from the Cappiello Art School in Florence, he attended the lessons of Canessa, Ammannati, Marsan and Poggiali. He worked as a graphic designer in laboratories and publishing houses, also collaborating as an illustrator at Studio Squillantini.

His artistic expression has developed in many directions, from woodcut to oil painting on jute and wood, arriving at wood and terracotta sculpture in his maturity, creating works that were particularly appreciated in Japan and the United States. He has been invited to solo and group exhibitions in Italy and abroad, receiving praise from critics and the public, and receiving awards on several occasions. In the last years of his activity he has participated in charity exhibitions in Florence at the Academy of Fine Arts and in Palazzo Vecchio. Of particular note were his exhibition of woodblock prints at the Kokabutei Gallery in Igima, Japan, and the exhibition at the ArtSpace8 Gallery in Chicago.