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Vincenzo Balsamo,
the Modern Genius of Italy
"The first
client who bought one of my paintings was my own
teacher." said Balsamo
Balsamo: I used the money to buy my very first
true set of colors. This made me feel a "true painter".
Oh, your questions bring to me, so much memories,
beautiful memories...
WACM:
How many paintings did you paint in your life? Did you
keep any of your early work?
Balsamo:
I don't know the exact number. Maybe, something like
2,500 paintings of various periods . Did I keep any of
my early work? Sure, I did. And I must also tell
you, I kept a good number of paintings from each
period. They are my life and my history. They are
like my children.. A true artist will always keep some
of his artwork for himself. Money is not everything in
life. Art is more noble, more human and more
meaningful for all those who love art and beauty in
the world. Selling all your paintings and not keeping
some for yourself is like selling yourself along with
your paintings. you will find a lot of my early work
in my studio, study and at home.
"A true artist will always keep some of his artwork
for himself.", said Maestro Balsamo
Photo: Painting "FIORE
DELL’ANIMA",
1979.
WACM:
Now, since you have become an international celebrity,
do you go back in time and look at your early years of
your career and re-examine
what went wrong, what you should have not done or
should have done to make success easier? Any lesson
you have learned
from past experiences?
Balsamo: Thank you for the compliment. I do not
consider myself as an international celebrity.
Absolutely, I re-evaluate my previous work. I mean the
painting techniques and compositions of various
periods of my art such as Decomposizioni, Nebulose,
Evocazioni, etc., I think, that in those years I had
perhaps not given sufficient importance to my work.
Today, I realize how little I produced in those
early stages of my life. Also, I realized and learned
that I was marginal. Instead, I should have been more
extensional.
 Photo:
Painting "Conversazione", 1974
WACM:
Any regrets in life?
Balsamo: I have a very large family; 7 between
sisters and siblings and sure the greatest
displeasures that I have had up to now have been the
loss of 2 siblings and a sister. Later in 1980, I lost
my brother. I became so sad and melancholic. I almost
decided to quit painting. The pain killed me. I did
not want to exhibit my paintings anymore, for many
years...But, those very paintings re-energized me and
forced me to go back to my studio and paint again.
Pain should not invade us as a game. We learn a lot
from pain. It is a learning experience. Sometimes,
pain is a source of energy and productivity. It forces
you to produce and create. In that sense, pain is
productive and noble. But, still, I miss the beloved
ones I lost...it is tough, you know...That's life, my
friend...
WACM:
What was the question you have never asked yourself
and you should have asked?
Photo: Painting "Romantic Atmosphere", 1989
Balsamo:
My answer to you will unfortunately take me to a world
of controversy. It would be wise to bring this
question to all those critics who for nearly 15 years
did not even consider me as an artist. For years, they
would not acknowledge my "existence" and notice my
work! Consequently, perhaps, logically, the "unasked
question" becomes: "Why and how come, they have
never recognized and understood my art?
WACM:You
are close to 68 now. When are you going to stop
painting and begin to relax?
Balsamo:
I am 69 now. I still feel that I can give a lot. You
must understand, painting is my whole life. I live
for my art and breath through it. I live my art 10
hours a day, along with my books, my music, my
poetry, my fantasy, my thoughts... I had 8 art periods
in my "colorful" life and today I am on the verge of
creating another period. I will never retire. On the
contrary, I keep on experimenting, digging, inventing,
re-inventing, searching, exploring new ideas, new
colors, new visions, new concepts, new techniques, new
themes, new philosophies...I will always try something
new, every day. I might stop, only, when and if I
begin to feel that I cannot produce meaningful art
anymore. However, I will not change my esthetical
philosophy and artistic style to please the
market...this is another story. I will never do that.
WACM:
If you could stop time, and re-think
about your whole life, how would you paint it in a
painting?
Balsamo:
Beautiful question. Creed that cannot be enclosed (all
my life) in a single picture, but every period of my
work could be reassumed as part of my existence step
by step. My life is a sequence of feelings and
visions. My life is there, all over my paintings. Let
me guide you toward my life on my paintings.
Autoritratto in 1961. Fiori, fire, lights in a blue
vase in 1973.Decomposizione in1976. Trauma and "warp"
in 1977?. An inquisitive painter in 1978. Letters of
my life in 1984. Ultimate moments...opera...visions,
not one single vision. Sognando in1987. Romance in
1993 well depicted in Atmosfere romantiche. My free
thoughts in 2000. Capriccio in 2003. I cannot stop
for one single moment and I will paint for the rest of
my life. My life is all of the above...My life is
"many things"...so is yours!
WACM:
What advice you would give to new talented painters
who are having hard time selling their paintings? What
they should do to succeed? Tell me about the practical
aspect
of it?
Balsamo:
Young painters of our times should accept
sacrifices. They must spend enough time studying the
great masters. Unfortunately, many of them are not
patient enough. They want to succeed right away. This
is impossible. Being an artist is not fun all the
time. You got to be patient and willing to learn, to
practice, to practice and practice again. You have to
work out your art. Also illusion of grandeur is
destructive. Some artists believe that they have made
it already, because two galleries exhibited their
work. They begin to tell themselves that they are on
the top now. And when, they begin to feel that way,
PROGRESS STOPS! If your art is stagnant pond, life
dies in it and so YOU! Something else, young artists
should be concerned about. A true artist should not
follow "fashion" in art. There is no such thing as
the "painting du jour" or the "special of the season",
or "trendy art". Art is immortal. Art outlives all of
us. It is not the trend, the fashion which makes you a
great artist but, the true, humble and sensitive
artist who lives inside you who will immortalize your
name and struggling art. Art is not a very fine
"boutique shopping", Art is not a product on "sale",
the French and the Italians refer to it as "Occasion"
and Occasione! Final advice: An artist becomes a true
artist when he or she finds his or her "identity" that
nobody can take away from the heart, soul, art and
character of the artist. An artist should not paint to
please the "shoppers" and the critics. Soon or later,
shoppers and critics die and are forgotten. Only,
truthful art with truthful identity will immortalize
the name, the memory and the art of the artist.
WACM:
What do you wish for your children to become
one day
in life: Rich lawyers?
doctors? Successful businessmen?
Or
talented
painters?
Balsamo:
I have 4 sons, two boys and two girls from my first
marriage. Roberto, lives in Australia. He is an
artist, a sculptor. Francisco works with me, he takes
care of my art and exhibitions business. My two
daughters, Antonella and Daniela live in Rome. From my
second marriage, I have a 9 year old son: Adam. I do
not impose my will on them, nor decide what they
should do and should not do in life. I do not think
about it. Each person in life sees life differently.
WACM:
What is a masterpiece,
Maestro?
Balsamo:
It is what endures in your mind and soul. From the
classical art, don't go far, Michelangelo's work.
Antonello of Messina or Piero of Francesca. From the
modern art: The work of Segantini, some capolavori
of Picasso, Braque, Gorky, or Kandinsky. But if I
have to choose my favorites, I would select Mirò,
Tobey and Twombly.
Final
words of Maestro Balsamo: I want to thank you for
visiting me. You have asked beautiful questions. They
took me back in time...and brought to me memories,
memories of my early days...the beginning of my
career, dear moments in my life. Also, unfortunately,
just to be frank with you, those beautiful questions
brought to my heart and to my mind, sad memories, but
that is life! Through your questions, I revisited
passages and frames of the film of my life with all
its intensity...thank you.
Read the biography of Vincenzo Balsamo and in-depth
art critique of his work by Professor Maximillien de
Lafayette in the World Art Celebrities Journal at:
http://www.worldartcelebritiesjournal.com
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WORLD EXHIBITIONS
THE LOUVRE
Each season, the Louvre features a series of temporary
exhibitions, each the result of the latest expert research. Some of
these shows are more suitable for the general public, but in their
conception they act as echoes, versions and counterpoints to the
museum's collections.
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Thursday, December 01 2005 |
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Antique Jewelry
The Marquis Campana Collection
One of the largest collections of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan
Antiquities of the Louvre.
Comprising
over 150 pieces, this ensemble was regarded as one of the
largest and most varied private collections in existence at the
time it was assembled. Today it is one of the Louvre’s most
important collections of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman
Antiquities. This exhibit was made possible by the support of
the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Roma (Italy). Publication:
Exhibition catalogue, Bijoux de l'Italie antique, la collection
du marquis Campana, edited by Françoise Gaultier and Catherine
Metzger. A Musée du Louvre Editions / 5 Continents coedition,
200 p., € 35. Curator(s) : Françoise Gaultier and Catherine
Metzger, curators in the Department Greek, Etruscan, and Roman
Antiquities of the Musée du Louvre
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Girodet 1767–1824
Paintings, from
09-22-2005 to 01-02-2006
A chance to rediscover the forgotten genius of one of
the greatest painters of the early 19th century in this international
exhibition of around 100 works by Girodet.
The strange, poetic and sensual
paintings of Jacques-Louis David’s dissident pupil, who witnessed both
the Revolution and the Empire, broadened the horizons of French
painting and introduced the world of immateriality and dreams. Upon
the initiative of the Cleveland Museum of Art, this exhibition was
co-organized by the Musée du Louvre and the Réunion des Musées
Nationaux, in collaboration with the Art Institute of Chicago, the
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de
Montréal. With the exceptional participation of the Musée Girodet (Montargis).This
exhibition was made possible through the support of American Friends
of the Louvre, and the support of France Info, i>TELE, and Zurban as
media partners.
After its run at the Louvre, this
exhibit will travel to Chicago, New York, and Montreal.– Chicago,
The Art Institute of Chicago, February 11 to April 30, 2006 – New
York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, May 22 to August 27,
2006. – Montreal, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal,
October 12, 2006, to January 21, 2007.
Publications:
Exhibition catalogue: Girodet, 1767–1824,
edited by Sylvain Bellenger, a Musée du Louvre Editions / Gallimard
co-edition, 352 p., about €49; Album: Girodet, by Sylvain
Bellenger, a Musée du Louvre Editions / Gallimard co-edition, 48 p.,
about €8. Curator(s)
: Sylvain Bellenger and Sylvain Laveissière
Islamic Art
from 04-30-2005 to 04-24-2006
Exhibition extended
30 Masterpieces of
Islamic Art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
An extraordinary selection of works from the
Metropolitan Museum's famed collection of Islamic art will be
exhibited for a full year at the Musée du Louvre, in the galleries of
the Department of Islamic Art.
The
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has the American continent's
finest collection of Islamic art. With over 10,000 items, the
collection has been a curatorial department since 1963. The current
displays, created in the 1970s, extend to over 4,000 square meters of
exhibition space.The Department of Islamic Art at the Metropolitan
Museum in New York closed to the public for a major re-fit in December
2003. During the renovation work, a number of works from the
Department have been displayed on the mezzanine level above the Met's
imposing entrance foyer. Others are being displayed alongside the
museum's collections of Asian and Western medieval art. The Louvre's
first gallery, dedicated to works from the excavations at Susa
(south-west Iran), will host a selection of objects from the
archaeological site at Nishapur in eastern Iran, which was overseen by
the Met in the late 1930s and 1940s. Nishapur produced a wealth of
finds (decorative architectural sculpture, ceramics, bronze,
glass...), testifying to its close links with the rest of the Islamic
world, including Susa, from the 9th to the 11th centuries. Remarkable
works from the Met's collection are displayed throughout the Louvre's
other galleries of Islamic art. Highlights include a rare dish
decorated with an eagle, signed by the leading Islamic ceramicist of
his day (Egypt 10th-11th century), lustrous tiles from the Nasrid
kingdom around Granada (Spain, 14th century), an example of medieval
Iranian pottery demonstrating close links with the arts of
calligraphy, book-binding etc., and items of metalwork, inlaid objects
(an Iranian ewer, 12th century; a perfume-burner, Egypt, 14th century;
an ink bottle, Iran, 15th century), together with elements of
architectural decoration (Iran, 1455; India, late 16th century). The
most spectacular piece in the collection is without doubt the large
glass bowl with enamel and gold decorations, from a 13th-century
Syrian workshop. The piece is a magnificent example of the technique
of polychrome and gold enameling on glass, developed in the eastern
Islamic world during the late 12th century. The work is displayed
alongside one of the masterpiece's of the Louvre's collection: the
large metal vase made for an Egyptian sultan in the mid-13th century,
and latterly from the collection of the Barberini Pope Urban VIII. The
items come from throughout the Islamic world, from Spain to India, and
cover a period ranging from the earliest years of the Islamic era to
the height of the latter day empires. Curator: Sophie Makariou, Musée
du Louvre
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