“My Weapon Against the Atom Bomb is a Blade of Grass” is a timely title for what seems could be coming our way in 2017…
Untitled-guache- Tancredi Parmeggiani -1954
The title refers to a retrospective at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, of Tancredi Parmeggiani (1927, Feltre – 1964 Rome, Italy) which will run until March 13, 2017.
Tancredi’s art fits with my theory about art: The common thread amongst all the art we see in museums and collections is not about the artwork itself but about hitting the right connections at the right time. The quality of the art can range from magnificent to outright mediocre and everything in between. My argument applies to any art of any period throughout time. What is not officially collected could be as great or better that any artwork in private or public collections, we just don’t know about it because it is not written about and exposed to be seen.
In pre-historic times and antiquity, it was not called ‘collecting art’, it was simply someone asking a maker to produce something to adorn a temple or another construction. These buildings became the precursors of our present day art museums. At the time, the terms ‘art’ and ‘artist’ did not exist as such.
In the Middle Age, religious art was all that was commissioned and displayed. Later, the choices expanded and now we have an immense array of artworks in a variety of styles collected and shown in museums. With time, patrons’ aesthetics determined what was officially collected, and this led to the believe that this is the ‘right’ art.
My point to all this is that Tancredi’s art is not particularly unique, trendsetting, or innovative. Actually, I think he follows or is influenced -proper art speak- for copyist… Check this piece above, does it remind you of Jackson Pollock? He was another protégé of Guggenheim. Tancredi’s claim to fame was connecting with Peggy Guggenheim in the 1950’s, and that is why there is a retrospective of his work now -just my humble opinion.
What I love is the title of the exhibition which somehow connects with the current changes now taking place in the U.S. which, due to its power, could affect most everyone in the world. Is hoping for a good or great 2017 all we can do? What do you think?
