Emanuele Cavalli
Encyclopedia
Emanuele Cavalli was an Italian
painter
belonging to the modern movement of the Scuola romana
(Roman School). He was also a renowned photographer, who experimented with new techniques since the 1930s
.
in 1921 and there he became a student of Italian painter Felice Carena
, also attending the local Art college. In 1926 he exhibited some paintings at the Biennale di Venezia, where he will continue to exhibit regularly.
From 1927 to 1930 lCavalli attended some expositions together with painters Giuseppe Capogrossi and Francesco Di Cocco, also travelling to France
(1928), where he was introduced by his friend Onofrio Martinelli to the circle of Italiens de Paris (i.e., De Pisis
, De Chirico, Savinio
and others). He exhibited at the Salon Bovy of Paris
with Fausto Pirandello
and Di Cocco, then in 1930 returned to Rome
where he joined the Scuola Romana
.
In a series of exhibitions Cavalli held from 1931 to 1933, the artist began elaborating Tonalism
, a pictorial and aesthetic style that will find in him one of its best and most refined interpreters, even from the theoretical point of view. In these exhibitions he received the support from important art critics and collectors, as well as from renowned Italian author Massimo Bontempelli
, the uncle of his friend Corrado Cagli
and the promoter of "Magic realism
", a literary and artistic movement which had many similarities with tonalistic
painting.
In 1933 Cavalli, together with Capogrossi and Melli wrote the "Manifesto
del Primordialismo plastico" (Manifesto
of Plastic Primordialism
) defining the Tonalism
Creed, with special emphasis on the style’s spiritual and abstract side. In 1935 and 1943, Cavalli exhibited a group of paintings at the Quadriennale di Roma, developing the theme of painting
-music
relationships: he displayed a series of feminine figures of different tonalities, and explained this work within the terms of "contrapuntal sensitivity", comparing it to a "collection of prelude
s and fugues
in major and minor tones".
Other important exhibitions were held by Cavalli at the Leonardo da Vinci
Gallery of Florence
in 1939 and at the Zodiaco of Rome
in 1945, the latter crowned by the appointment as professor of Painting
at Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze
. He thus moved permanently to Florence
with wife Vera Haberfeld. In 1949 Cavalli was affected by a deep crisis, increased by his professorship not being renewed and his close friends’ change of style towards Abstract art
.
However, Cavalli will continue to paint for the rest of his life, alternating it with photography
and innovative imaging
, receiving important commissions from public and private organisations.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
belonging to the modern movement of the Scuola romana
Scuola Romana
Scuola romana or Scuola di via Cavour was a 20th century art movement defined by a group of painters within Expressionism and active in Rome between 1928 and 1945, and with a second phase in the mid-1950s.-Birth of the Movement:...
(Roman School). He was also a renowned photographer, who experimented with new techniques since the 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
.
Biography
Son of Apulian landowners, Cavalli moved to RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1921 and there he became a student of Italian painter Felice Carena
Felice Carena
Felice Carena was an Italian painter.Born at Cumiana, he studied in the Turin's Art Academy; here he frequented Symbolist poets such as Arturo Graf and Giovanni Cena. In 1906 he moved to Rome and in 1912 he exposed his works at the Biennale di Venezia...
, also attending the local Art college. In 1926 he exhibited some paintings at the Biennale di Venezia, where he will continue to exhibit regularly.
From 1927 to 1930 lCavalli attended some expositions together with painters Giuseppe Capogrossi and Francesco Di Cocco, also travelling to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(1928), where he was introduced by his friend Onofrio Martinelli to the circle of Italiens de Paris (i.e., De Pisis
Filippo De Pisis
Filippo De Pisis was an Italian painter.-Biography:Filippo de Pisis was an Italian painter-poet who was born Luigi Filippo Tibertelli in Ferrara....
, De Chirico, Savinio
Alberto Savinio
Alberto Savinio, real name Andrea Francesco Alberto de Chirico was an Italian writer, painter, musician, journalist, essayist, playwright, set designer and composer. He was the younger brother of 'metaphysical' painter Giorgio De Chirico...
and others). He exhibited at the Salon Bovy of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
with Fausto Pirandello
Fausto Pirandello
Fausto Pirandello , was an Italian painter belonging to the modern movement of the Scuola romana . He was the son of Nobel laureate Luigi Pirandello.-Biography:...
and Di Cocco, then in 1930 returned to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
where he joined the Scuola Romana
Scuola Romana
Scuola romana or Scuola di via Cavour was a 20th century art movement defined by a group of painters within Expressionism and active in Rome between 1928 and 1945, and with a second phase in the mid-1950s.-Birth of the Movement:...
.
In a series of exhibitions Cavalli held from 1931 to 1933, the artist began elaborating Tonalism
Tonalism
Tonalism was an artistic style that emerged in the 1880s when American artists began to paint landscape forms with an overall tone of colored atmosphere or mist. Between 1880 and 1915, dark, neutral hues such as gray, brown or blue, often dominated compositions by artists associated with the style...
, a pictorial and aesthetic style that will find in him one of its best and most refined interpreters, even from the theoretical point of view. In these exhibitions he received the support from important art critics and collectors, as well as from renowned Italian author Massimo Bontempelli
Massimo Bontempelli
Massimo Bontempelli was an Italian poet, playwright, and novelist. He was influential in developing and promoting the literary style known as magical realism.-Life:...
, the uncle of his friend Corrado Cagli
Corrado Cagli
Corrado Cagli was an Italian painter of Jewish heritage, who lived in the USA during World War II.Cagli was born in Ancona, but in 1915 moved with his family to Rome....
and the promoter of "Magic realism
Magic realism
Magic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements blend with the real world. The story explains these magical elements as real occurrences, presented in a straightforward manner that places the "real" and the "fantastic" in the same stream of...
", a literary and artistic movement which had many similarities with tonalistic
Tonalism
Tonalism was an artistic style that emerged in the 1880s when American artists began to paint landscape forms with an overall tone of colored atmosphere or mist. Between 1880 and 1915, dark, neutral hues such as gray, brown or blue, often dominated compositions by artists associated with the style...
painting.
In 1933 Cavalli, together with Capogrossi and Melli wrote the "Manifesto
Manifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
del Primordialismo plastico" (Manifesto
Manifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
of Plastic Primordialism
Primordialism
Primordialism or perennialism is the argument which contends that nations are ancient, natural phenomena.Primordialism can be traced philosophically to the ideas of German Romanticism, particularly in the works of Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Johann Gottfried Herder. For Herder, the nation was...
) defining the Tonalism
Tonalism
Tonalism was an artistic style that emerged in the 1880s when American artists began to paint landscape forms with an overall tone of colored atmosphere or mist. Between 1880 and 1915, dark, neutral hues such as gray, brown or blue, often dominated compositions by artists associated with the style...
Creed, with special emphasis on the style’s spiritual and abstract side. In 1935 and 1943, Cavalli exhibited a group of paintings at the Quadriennale di Roma, developing the theme of painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
-music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
relationships: he displayed a series of feminine figures of different tonalities, and explained this work within the terms of "contrapuntal sensitivity", comparing it to a "collection of prelude
Prelude (music)
A prelude is a short piece of music, the form of which may vary from piece to piece. The prelude can be thought of as a preface. It may stand on its own or introduce another work...
s and fugues
Fugues
Fugue can refer to:* Fugue for the type of musical piece* See :Category:Fugues for individual pieces.* Fugues for the Canadian gay magazine* Fugue for the American literary journal.* Fugue state, a psychological term...
in major and minor tones".
Other important exhibitions were held by Cavalli at the Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
Gallery of Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
in 1939 and at the Zodiaco of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1945, the latter crowned by the appointment as professor of Painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
at Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze
Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze
The Accademia di Belle Arti is an art academy in Florence, Italy and it is now the operative branch of the still existing Accademia delle Arti del Disegno that was the first academy of drawing in Europe.-History:The Accademia delle Arti del Disegno The Accademia di Belle Arti ("Academy of Fine...
. He thus moved permanently to Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
with wife Vera Haberfeld. In 1949 Cavalli was affected by a deep crisis, increased by his professorship not being renewed and his close friends’ change of style towards Abstract art
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
.
However, Cavalli will continue to paint for the rest of his life, alternating it with photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
and innovative imaging
Imaging
Imaging is the representation or reproduction of an object's outward form; especially a visual representation .- Imaging methodologies and technologies :...
, receiving important commissions from public and private organisations.
See also
- Scuola RomanaScuola RomanaScuola romana or Scuola di via Cavour was a 20th century art movement defined by a group of painters within Expressionism and active in Rome between 1928 and 1945, and with a second phase in the mid-1950s.-Birth of the Movement:...
- ExpressionismExpressionismExpressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
- Corrente di VitaCorrente di VitaCorrente di Vita Giovanile , later renamed Corrente di Vita or Corrente, was an Italian magazine founded on 1 January 1938 in Milan by artist Ernesto Treccani....
- Novecento ItalianoNovecento ItalianoNovecento Italiano was an Italian artistic movement founded in Milan in 1922 by Anselmo Bucci , Leonardo Dudreville , Achille Funi, Gian Emilio Malerba , Piero Marussig, Ubaldo Oppi and Mario Sironi...
- Valori plasticiValori plasticiValori plastici was an Italian magazine published in Rome in Italian and French from 1918 to 1922, edited by painter and art collector Mario Broglio and focused on aesthetic ideals and metaphysical artwork...
- Magic realismMagic realismMagic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements blend with the real world. The story explains these magical elements as real occurrences, presented in a straightforward manner that places the "real" and the "fantastic" in the same stream of...
- TonalismTonalismTonalism was an artistic style that emerged in the 1880s when American artists began to paint landscape forms with an overall tone of colored atmosphere or mist. Between 1880 and 1915, dark, neutral hues such as gray, brown or blue, often dominated compositions by artists associated with the style...
- EsotericismEsotericismEsotericism or Esoterism signifies the holding of esoteric opinions or beliefs, that is, ideas preserved or understood by a small group or those specially initiated, or of rare or unusual interest. The term derives from the Greek , a compound of : "within", thus "pertaining to the more inward",...
External links
- Official site
- Cavalli’s paintings, two images. Accessed 31 May 2011
- Emanuele Cavalli fotografo, on Aft. Accessed 31 May 2011
- Artist’s Bio, on Scuolaromana.it. Accessed 31 May 2011
- Dictionary)/ sub voce "E. Cavalli", on Treccani.it. Accessed 30 May 2011
- Cavalli’s Life, by Sergio Miceli. . Accessed 31 May 2011
- Museum of Scuola Romana
- Official Scuola Romana site
- Dictionary entry
- "Artisti a Roma tra le due guerre ritorna a Roma, al Casino dei Principi di Villa Torlonia", article on RomaNotizie.it. Accessed 26 May 2011