Published on the occasion of the exhibition Max Pellegrini: A Retrospective Exhibition at Heather James Fine Art, Palm Desert, California November 27, 2015 - March 27, 2016
Heather James Fine Art 45188 Portola Avenue Palm Desert, California 92260 www.heatherjames.com
Max Pellegrini in his studio, 2015
Max Pellegrini By Carol Cheh
As an artist, Max Pellegrini has always been an exuberant explorer. His youthful prints, paintings, and mixed-media works of the 1960s reflected the styles that were influential at the time—Pop Art, psychedelia, rock’n’roll posters, and the films of avant-garde director Federico Fellini. In the 1970s, he went on to study the techniques of various old masters he admired, creating images in the style of Manet, Monet, Renoir, and Hals, among others. As he matured, Pellegrini continued to incorporate a wide range of cultural and stylistic influences into his work, including classical Greek mythology, Roman Catholic iconography, literature, film, opera, Surrealism, and Art Nouveau. In the art world, Pellegrini is also something of an outsider; not hesitating to pursue his own eccentric passions, he has remained one step removed from the scenes and dialogues that have defined his time. As a result, his work feels uncannily familiar at the same time that it seems slightly off-kilter. In the 1980s, Pellegrini’s varied investigations began to coalesce into a distinctive style and look that is all his own—combining rich colors, textures, and patterns that draw equally from psychedelia, Surrealism, and Art Nouveau with representational narratives that reflect the artist’s own idiosyncratic thinking. With his broad overview of art history and contemporary culture, Pellegrini has developed a unique point of view in which he is able to blend disparate references to provocative, ironic, and sometimes humorous effect. One work that showcases Pellegrini’s unique abilities is Rimembranze: dal ‘Bacio’ del Canova alla ‘Salita al Calvario’ di Hieronimus Bosch passando per le ‘Quattro stagioni’ dell’ Arcimboldo (Remembrances: from Canova’s “Kiss” to Hieronymus Bosch’s “Road to Calvary” by way of Arcimboldo’s “Four Seasons”) (2009–10). Here, the artist announces in the title all of the sources he has drawn from: a religious painting by Bosch, a striking composition by Arcimboldo, and an iconic sculpture by Canova depicting Eros and Psyche in a dramatic kiss. The result is a beautifully graphic, free-associative collage in which romantic love and the passage of time are foregrounded, while the complexities of redemption loom in a shadow behind them.
Presepio (detail)
In Presepio (Nativity) (2010–11), Pellegrini tackles the religious iconography of his native Italy. In a novel move, he de-emphasizes the actual nativity scene, placing it in the lower center of the painting and rendering it in a murky brown tone, while a glorious depiction of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome looms above it in bright blue, capturing the viewer’s focus. As Pellegrini ruminated in a recent interview, this shift reflects his questioning of conventional means and symbols of worship and his constant search for his own authentic relationship with God. The artist’s cheeky humor is shown to great effect in the diptych, La Regina della Notte trasforma Leda in cigno e uno scoiattolo preannuncia tempesta (The Queen of the Night turns Leda into a swan and a squirrel predicts a storm) (2013). A famous figure from Mozart’s The Max Pellegrini in his studio, 2015 Magic Flute opera appears to enact a skewed version of a classical Greek myth—instead of being seduced by Zeus in swan form, the Queen of the Night turns Leda herself into a swan. Meanwhile, a squirrel sits square in the foreground of the painting, staring at the viewer. This elegantly absurd tableau pokes some good-natured fun at the natural human urge to search for greater meaning in symbols and references. Pellegrini has said that his favorite painting—and one that he constantly strives to emulate—is Giorgione’s The Tempest (c. 1506– 08), a mysterious, evocative work that has long been famous for inspiring endless debates among scholars and aficionados, all of whom have their own theories as to the meanings intended by the artist. With little historical information recorded, no single theory has emerged as definitive, and the painting remains to this day inscrutable and entirely open to all interpretations. Through his lush, generous imagery, filled with the fruits of a lifetime of intellectual discovery, Pellegrini provides plenty of grist for contemplation at the same time that he reminds us to question convention and to laugh at ourselves. In the artist’s own words: “The ‘wrestle with the angel’ is always unequal and already lost from the outset. The work is earthly. God unreachable.”
Paintings
Sogni di Gloria (Dreams of Glory) Oil on canvas 70 3/4 x 70 3/4 in. 1982 Pablo Picasso paints a portrait of his sitter Giorgio De Chirico in a room filled with classical antiquities, neoclassical sculptures and impressionist paintings. The artist dreams of his own glory, which is symbolized by the masterpieces in the room – the statue of Victory by Michelangelo, an Impressionist artwork leaning in a corner, and the painting behind the sitter that symbolizes human knowledge. Yet, this is all meant ironically. De Chirico only sits in for Pellegrini himself, who mocks his own fears and phobias, by sitting in a room in which every person and artwork in the painting have already achieved their glory. “Yes, irony is one of the elements of my painting. I make fun of myself and my neurotic fears and phobias and I turn the situation with ironic if not at times hilarious details. I placed a cat, for example, with phosphorescent eyes in a bucolic scene, or in the subject of Carnival I mix death, ridicule and joking.” (Antonio Monda, “Interview with Max Pellegrini,” in Max Pellegrini, ed. Danilo Eccher, 2014)
Costiera Amalfitana in Amalfitana Festa (The Amalfi Coast during the Amalfi Festival) Oil on canvas 63 x 78 1/2 in. 1983 The Amalfi Coast is a length of coastline along Italy’s Sorrentine peninsula. It is renowned for its natural beauty, including jagged cliffs that dive precipitously into the ocean. A festival ensues in front of the Church of Sant’Antonio in Amalfi, built along the Amalfi coast and near the Grotta dello Smeraldo, or Emerald Grotto. The church is host to a celebration each year on June 13th, when a statue of Sant’ Antonio is carried down a narrow staircase from a church in Atrani to a boat procession, which passes by the Church of Sant’ Antonio before returning to Atrani. While the festival ensues in front of the church, a nativity scene occurs below, in the Emerald Grotto. A dark shade of blue casts a shadow over the composition, assuredly a geographic and temporal indicator, but possibly a reference to Picasso’s blue period as well, a major influencer on Pellegrini’s artwork. “I am essentially a man shaped by the culture of the twentieth century, or rather the early twentieth century. I have most of all been influenced by Picasso in his blue and pink period; but also the portrait of Olga, the theme of the Minotaur and many others. Then De Chirico with his metaphysical visions…” (Antonio Monda, “Interview with Max Pellegrini,” in Max Pellegrini, ed. Danilo Eccher, 2014)
Il Dormiento, La Caduta di Icaro a Torino (The Sleeper, the Fall of Icarus in Turin) Oil on canvas 78 3/4 x 98 1/2 in. 1985-1986
Il Cavallo di Padova (The Horse of Padua) Oil on canvas 59 x 59 in. 1988
La Sagra (The Festival) Oil on canvas 59 1/4 x 59 1/4 in. 1988 Mirror images of a cloaked figure embrace a bare-chested and bearded man, who is almost child-like in his relative stature. Their embrace mirrors that of Michelangelo’s Pieta, and the many similar depictions of Christ and the Madonna. A dark shade of blue casts a shadow over the composition, assuredly a temporal indicator, but possibly a reference to Picasso’s blue period as well, a major influencer on Pellegrini’s artwork. The wall panels behind the figures depict religious scenes, and remind the viewer of stained glass walls in churches and chapels. Light shines from windows in the city below, also illuminated by a full moon peaking over mountainous scenery.
La Geisha e il Cavaliere (The Geisha and the Knight) Oil on canvas 63 x 51 in. 1993
Vita di un’anarchica: la scelta (Life of an Anarchist: The Choice) Oil on canvas 63 x 51 in. 1997-2009 From the late 1990’s to the early 2000’s, Pellegrini returned to his paintings in the Life of an Anarchist series, “reworked them, constructed them in ‘layers,’ corrected them, initiated series or returned to iconographies of his past works.” These paintings, which are dedicated to Pellegrini’s wife Roberta, depict a woman who is free and positive, and are part of a long line of works in which there is an absolute female protagonist. (Sara D’Alessandro, “Biography,” in Max Pellegrini, ed. Danilo Eccher, 2014). Pellegrini had his wife in mind for these paintings, since “she considers herself an integrated anarchist, a woman with no prejudice but not fanatical or destructive.” - Partial text adapted from Max Pellegrini, July 2015, in conversation with Curator Chip Tom
Vita di un’anarchica: I ricordi delle Anime Acesse (Life of an Anarchist: The Memory of High Spirits) Oil on canvas 51 x 62 in. 1997-2009 From the late 1990’s to the early 2000’s, Pellegrini returned to his paintings in the Life of an Anarchist series, “reworked them, constructed them in ‘layers,’ corrected them, initiated series or returned to iconographies of his past works.” These paintings, which are dedicated to Pellegrini’s wife Roberta, depict a woman who is free and positive, and are part of a long line of works in which there is an absolute female protagonist. (Sara D’Alessandro, “Biography,” in Max Pellegrini, ed. Danilo Eccher, 2014). Pellegrini had his wife in mind for these paintings, since “she considers herself an integrated anarchist, a woman with no prejudice but not fanatical or destructive.” - Partial text adapted from Max Pellegrini, July 2015, in conversation with Curator Chip Tom
Narciso che guarda Ofelia (Narcissus Looking at Drowned Ophelia) Oil on canvas, part of a diptych 51 x 63 in. 1997-2010
La Morte del Fauno (The Death of the Faun) Oil on canvas, part of a diptych 63 x 51 in. 1997-2010
Psiche e Amore (Psyche and Cupid) Oil on canvas 51 1/4 x 127 in. 1998-2001 Pellegrini returns to Classical Mythology to paint an adapted narration of the love story of Cupid and Psyche. Traditionally, Psyche was a young princess who was hailed for her beauty and unfortunately caught the eye of a jealous Venus. Venus entrusted Cupid to punish Psyche by making her fall in love with something hideous. Cupid accidently scratched himself with his amorous dart, by which he immediately fell in love with Psyche. As a result, Cupid disobeyed his mother’s orders to punish Psyche. Ultimately they married, but not before Psyche completed a number of painstaking and nearly impossible tasks at the behest of Venus. Pellegrini’s interpretation of this myth is cast over two canvases with different chromatic palettes, oscillating on a spectrum of abstraction and representation. This creates a disorienting temporal effect that creates a sense of mystery surrounding the passage of time between two lovers.
Quadro teologico in onore di Puccetto, Canarino Morto da Tempo (Theological painting in honor of Puccetto, long dead canary) Oil on canvas 63 x 78 1/2 in. 1998-2008 Puccetto was a small yellow canary that sang from his cage in Pellegrini’s studio for twelve years. To him, tiny and frail, Pellegrini dedicated the large painting to emphasize the importance he had in his life. – In conversation with Max Pellegrini, November 2015
La rinascita del fauno (Resurrection no. 3: The Faun’s rebirth) Oil on canvas 39 1/4 x 51 in. 2000-2005
La regina della notte e della luna (The Queen of the Night & the Moon) Oil on canvas 63 1/4 x 79 in. 2004-2005 The Queen of the Night drinks water from the clasped hands of faith, while two shepherds embrace each other, unaware of Jesus’ birth. Angels, portrayed almost translucently on the canvas, spray holy water and bring about the giving of gifts. A precious jewel is depicted in the right corner, while a humble basket of turkeys sits on the cape of the Madonna. Nearby rests a basket with a goldfinch, an ancient symbol, which is a harbinger of good luck for newborn babies. The baby Jesus, just as the clasped hands that the Queen drinks out of, represents faith – the angels have sprinkled with holy water and he will soon make himself known to the world. “For me the faith in religion becomes faith in painting and will defeat the giants.” – Max Pellegrini, July 2015, in conversation with Curator Chip Tom.
Rimembranze: dal bacio del Canova alla Salita al Calvario di Bosch…. (Remembrance: From the Kiss by Canova to Christ Carrying the Cross by Bosch) Oil on canvas 29 1/4 x 32 in. 2009-10 The painting, inspired by Antonio Canova’s sculpture Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss, and Christ Carrying the Cross by Hieronymous Bosch, depicts a laureate male and a female enmeshed in a boa of roses. Canova’s sculpture represents Cupid and Psyche during an emotionally charged moment, in which Cupid awakens Psyche from death. His tender embrace is mimicked in this painting, however Psyche, appearing more realistic than sculpture-like, looks on. Hieronymous Bosch’s grotesque painting of Christ while he carries the cross looms over Cupid’s head. The grotesque work of Bosch is at odds with the Neoclassical inspiration from Canova, perhaps to convey the dark emotions that simmer beneath the façade of love.
Presepio (Nativity) Oil on canvas 59 1/4 x 59 1/4 in. 2010-11 In an abstracted image of St. Peter’s basilica in Rome, Pellegrini returns to religious narratives to express his “anti-ideological and anti-pauperist” impression of the church and its relationship with faith (Antonio Monda, “Interview with Max Pellegrini). In the lower half of the painting, the birth of Jesus is the central focus, while the life of the church is highlighted in the upper half. According to Pellegrini, he depicted the birth of Jesus in the style of a baroque 18th century Neapolitan nativity scene that can be interpreted “as a feast for the birth of faith.” This faith is conceived of as “the material support for the Popes’ power and of the Church’s glory,” represented in this painting by the Pope clutching the moon in his hand. - Partial text adapted from Max Pellegrini, July 2015, in conversation with Curator Chip Tom
Gli Amanti che si amano non ci Sono per Nessuno (Lovers who love each other for there are none) Oil on canvas 59 1/4 x 78 3/4 in. 2011-12 A young man and woman embrace one another, a woman holds a child, a sleeping baby holds a black and red thread, another young woman undresses, and an angel spreads its wings in this collage like composition. Together, these characters create a narrative in which young love, fate, and life are intertwined: the sleeping baby holds a red thread and black thread, reminiscent of the mythological three Fates, who spun life and death on their loom. These threads are physically connected to the young lovers, who embrace each other, wholly unaware of the hold that the infant has on them. A woman holding a child watches over the love of the youthful boy and girl, just as Mary and Jesus watch over and defend mankind. The merging of narratives and symbols is a common element in Pellegrini’s oeuvre, and is masterfully expressed here.
La Regina della Notte Trasforma Leda in cigno e uno scoiattolo preannuncia tempesta (The Queen of the Night transforms Leda into a swan and a squirrel predicts a storm) Oil on canvas 63 1/8 x 102 1/2 in. 2013 The Queen of the Night, who often appears angelic, maternal, and forgiving, is a recurrent character in Pellegrini’s body of work. In this painting, Pellegrini borrows the traditional Greek myth of Leda and the Swan, in which Zeus, disguised as a swan, rapes Leda on the same night that she sleeps with her husband King Tyndareus. From their union, Leda laid two eggs, one that contained Helen and Clytemnestra, the other Castor and Pollux. Yet, Pellegrini adapts this myth to depict the Queen of the Night turning Leda into a swan. Furthermore, he includes a seemingly random figure - a frontal squirrel predicting a storm. The squirrel is a unique character in Pellegrini’s surrealism that relates to the symbolism of a 16th century Northern Italian Painter, Lorenzo Lotto. In Lotto’s artwork, a sleeping squirrel is a symbol for happy marriage, while the excited squirrel is a symbol for a stormy marriage. Thus, the excited squirrel sees a stormy relationship ahead for Zeus and Leda. In an interview with Antonio Monda, Pellegrini explains, “the reason for such super-long titles arises from my own amusement and wish to explain at length the apparent enigmatic aspect of the pictures, which has often aroused curiosity…” (Max Pellegrini, ed. Danilo Eccher, 2014)