Monday, November 28, 2011

Piero Fornasetti: Timeless, Accessible Art


When we think of "art," we often think of something so sublime, so extraordinary, that we can see it only in museums, and appreciate it only if we are fortunate enough to possess special, rare sensibilities-like our overachieving, patronizing cousin Sheldon, or our freshman year art history professor who looked like she rather be painting, or sculpting-or doing anything other than drilling into our philistine heads the wonders of Botticelli. Not for us Picasso in his blue phase-put the department store print over the mantel and change the channel. Got any more taco chips?

But of course this isn't true. Everyone has the ability to appreciate art, and everyone should have the opportunity to bring it into their homes. Not the generic, neutral, unsurprising art of banks, medical offices and lawyers' waiting rooms, but real art-engaging, surprising, and ageless. Art with function as well as form.

Piero Fornasetti's genius was that he was able to create that kind of art. Born in Milan, Italy, in 1913 an educated at the Brera Academy and Milano University, Fornasetti refused to limit his artistic vision to paper or canvas. Instead, he excelled in the decorative arts, using various media to create over 11,000 different items, ranging from an umbrella stand to a decorative screen, from a chair to wallpaper.

He was the interior decorator for the San Remo Casino, and the first class sections of the ocean liner Andrea Doria. And with his furniture, decorative accessories, and clothing items, such as scarves, he brought his unique artistic vision to thousands.

Fornasetti found inspiration everywhere, particularly classical Greek and Roman art. However, his best known inspiration was a run-of-the-mill newspaper engraving of the famous 19th century operatic soprano and beauty, Lina Cavalieri. Although Cavalieri was twice painted and continually photographed, the engraving emphasized her classical beauty, and inspired Fornasetti to recreate it in decoupage on china-350 times. These 350 plates, collectively known as "Themes and Variations" depict the engraving of Cavalieri's face in all sorts of poses and styles, ranging from the darkly romantic image of her with a candle, to a Daliesque vision, to the picture of a shattered plate, on a plate itself. In one common illustration, Fornasetti was able to find hundreds-some witty, some romantic, some clever, some gorgeous-all timeless.

Artists' suns rise and set, but a few years before his death in 1988, interest in Fornasetti's work revived. Now, his son Barnaba works to bring his father's creations to life, using the same methods Piero used almost a century ago. Piero Fornasetti didn't believe that true art could be categorized by time periods-that good art was always good art. And it's true. The plates of "Themes and Variations" are as lovely, amusing, and interesting now as they were when they were created. And rather than hanging isolated in a gallery, they can be brought into the home, where they can serve as focal pieces, conversation starters and, well, serving pieces, showcasing Fornasetti's genius for making the commonplace singularly uncommon.




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