Nov 30, 2008 8:00 am US/Eastern
CBS 2 At The Met: Giorgio Morandi
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
If you've never seen the work of Italian artist, Giorgio Morandi, you're not alone. Mostly muted and monochromatic, and borrowed from private collections, this Met exhibition is the first Morandi show ever in the United States.
Born in Bologna in 1890, Morandi studied art as a teenager. Influenced early by Paul Cezanne, Morandi explored hue and tone and arranging objects as his style evolved. The Met invited two 'guest curators' to put together the exhibition. Renato Miracco is the Director of New York's Italian Cultural Institute. He tells CBS2's Dana tyler that Morandi was all about heart, yet immediately you'll see this minimalist rarely painted people. Miracco says, "He made only four paintings about the human figure because he doesn't trust in human beings, he trusts in still life!"
Most of the 100 works in the show are versions of a still life, documenting his career as Morandi experimented with cubism and futurism. Miracco explains to Tyler "This idea to be in touch with the truth of the object is inside the idea of Morandi. Tyler says, "Ok, I'm trying to follow this. This is a bottle!" They laughed. Tyler continues, I'm a simple person Renato, this is a bottle but all the energy around the bottle that's it, the pitchers the containers!" Miracco agrees, "Exactly!"
Miracco can't contain his enthusiasm about sharing Morandi with Met visitors.
He sees the painter more as a poet. As he explains in another still life.
"It's white on white, first of all, the relationships between the little cap and the bottle, is like the relationship between two lovers, mother and son, daddy and daughter, it's really more close, just a little touching the bottle lightly."
Morandi was a recluse who only gave one interview in his life. He died in 1964. Putting together this first-ever U.S. show involved asking a friend to loan another his Morandi still life, of a cactus. It took a lot of begging, but finally, Miracco got it and more!
He recalls the conversation with his friend. "He said, okay, Renato I'll lend you my still life and I would like to clean before the exhibition. As soon as he cleaned it, we discovered, and ta-da, the self-portrait of Morandi, behind the canvas!"
Painted in 1919, he says Morandi didn't like how he painted himself, so he painted on the other side and the self-portrait was always covered up in the frame! Paintings, watercolors and etchings by Giorgio Morandi at the Met now through December 14th.
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