The metaphor of the uncanny

Ricardo Cinalli's retrospective exhibition The metaphor of the uncanny opened in Trieste, Italy.

           

One of the world’s most important contemporary painter-monumentalist

From 23th March to 2nd May 2013
Ex Pescheria – Salone degli Incanti
Riva Nazario Sauro 1 – Trieste

Trieste is living an excellent moment for art. Yes, I’m amazed too.

Given the awareness of the sleepiness; typical of a city reluctant to scale-up and possibly set up innovative cultural possibilities. Despite the strategical trans-border position of Trieste such a declaration seems absurdly uncanny. But after a friend brought me to see the inauguration of Cinalli, an international artist, I was amazed to see there’s still hope for Trieste.

Cinalli’s retrospective exhibition has been created by the ‘Cultural Association Woland’,  the ‘Municipality of Trieste’ and ‘Elzeviro - Publishing Communication Arts’. It will run from 23 March to 2 May 2013.

Although Cinalli conceives artwork on a monumental scale, and as a spirit of a Renaissance revival, he’s not so much focused on a revival of the glory of antiquity, as the spirit of free inquiry of Cinalli is more interested in the development, in the assimilation and incorporation of ideas from fascinating artists of any era.

His work, perfectly summed up in the title, ‘The Metaphor of the Uncanny’, impresses and disturbs. The current retrospective exhibition in Trieste which consists of a selection of 52 monumental works, divided into seven sections, is filled with his tangled mythological scenes for which he is reknowned. The muscled stony-faced breathless neoclassical figures that we see in Trieste have already brought him fame in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, United States, Soviet Union, Spain, Norway, England and in Italy. In 2008 he painted the frescoes for the New Chapel of the Church of Santa Maria della Misericordia di Terni and in 2007 he had made the monumental fresco The Resurrection Cathedral counter of Terni.

In each section of the exhibition, Cinalli aims to portray the conflicts and questions of the human being in front of the great classical themes; the dimension of time, art, creation, transcendence, religion, sex, and death.

What is unique about Cinalli’s technique, is the way colours are blended and layered directly on the surface creating a polyphony of pastel colours and wavy lines, set on layers of tissue paper stuck together. When I had the opportunity to meet Cinalli at the ‘vernissage’ in the private circle at the ‘LUISI SRL ART & SPACE’, at via San Nicolò 4, on Saturday the 6^th April, he was actually standing alongside me, watching the audience’s response. Everyone seemed optimistic about the prospect for favourable reactions and good reviews. He confidently confessed that he’s looking forward to knowing the average guest rating but he has got to be waiting a bit more as the exhibition will remain on view until 2^nd May 2013.