In Turin, an exhibition of watercolor from the 20th century to the present, at the Pinacoteca Albertina

The Pinacoteca Albertina presents, from November 30, 2018 to March 17, 2019, the exhibition AD ACQUA. Watercolor at the Accademia Albertina and in Piedmont from the 20th century to the present, curated by Marcella Pralormo, director of the Pinacoteca Agnelli, and Daniele Gay, professor of graphic techniques at theAccademia Albertina. There is a watercolor tradition in Piedmont that has its roots in the nineteenth century, when the watercolor technique spread fromEngland and was brought to the highest level in Piedmont by artists such as Giuseppe Pietro Bagetti (Turin, 1764 - 1831) and Giovanni Battista De Gubernatis (Turin, 1774 - 1837). The tradition continues into the 20th century and up to the present day: the exhibition aims to tell how this technique is still alive and relevant today and how it has been practiced by teachers and students of the Accademia Albertina and by many Turin artists, recounting its development from the second half of the 20th century to the present.

The exhibition begins with the generation of the great watercolor masters of the second half of the twentieth century: Mario Calandri, Sergio Saroni, Giacomo Soffiantino, and Francesco Franco. These artists contributed to innovating watercolor, each with an original and specific language. Thanks to them, watercolor regains meaning and expresses contemporary content and themes. Calandri renews still life; Saroni and Soffiantino devote themselves to landscape and nature painting through tangled marks and novel textures; Francesco Franco revisits landscape in an introspective sense, hovering between abstraction and figuration.

Examples of Piedmontese artists who focused on capturing the simplicity of nature, landscape and objects will be on display: Francesco Casorati, Ettore Fico, Francesco Tabusso, Mauro Chessa, and Nando Eandi. The exhibition will present watercolors of different genres: from carnet de voyage, to naturalistic watercolor, from portrait to landscape, from interior paintings, to abstract watercolors. More mature artists will exhibit their watercolors alongside younger artists, making it clear that the tradition continues and is renewed, through very different themes and new techniques.

Anna Lequio’s light-flooded watercolors, Sandro Lobalzo’s dark and intense still lifes and interiors and those inhabited by little girls by Titti Garelli, and Daniele Gay’s imaginary landscapes will also be on display. Nature painting will be represented by watercolors by Nick Edel, Cristina Girard, Anna Regge. Watercolor is used by some artists for portraits and representation of the human figure, for example, the work of Paolo Galetto will be exhibited alongside the imaginary faces of Ugo Giletta, and the younger Stefano Allisiardi, a student of Daniele Gay.

A carnet de voyage by Stefano Faravelli will recount this tradition, while the contemporary landscape will be represented by Galliano’s small watercolors, Pusole’s monochromes, Gosia Turzeniecka’s apartment buildings, Piera Luisolo’s views of Turin, and Andrea Gammino’s landscapes with imaginary figures.

Examples of abstract and contemporary watercolors by artists such as Giorgio Griffa, who works on the relationship between signs, sounds and colors, Andrea Massaioli, the author of watercolors in which ultramarine blue prevails, and Ada Mascolo, who uses watercolor to create installations and sequences of images on the theme of the feminine, will be on display.

Lectures on watercolor technique and paid workshops will be organized during the exhibition to help spread knowledge of this technique to the general public as well. Ticket price: full 7 €, reduced 5 € (children and young people aged 6 to 18, university students up to 26, conventions). Free under 6, teachers, Abbonamento Musei and Torino + Piemonte Card holders. For all information you can call +39 011 0897370, email pinacoteca.albertina@coopculture.com or visit www.pinacotecalbertina.it.

Pictured: Giorgio Griffa, 162 (2010; watercolor on paper)

In Turin, an exhibition of watercolor from the 20th century to the present, at the Pinacoteca Albertina

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