Visse d’arte (He lived by art)

To remember Giacomo Puccini on the occasion of the centenary of his death, the National Museum of Musical Instruments hosts the exhibition of Corrado Veneziano Visse d'Arte (He lived by art) dedicated by the artist to the great composer from Lucca. These are twenty-five paintings, twelve of which recall the entire Puccini opera repertoire: the works in fact represent horizontal lines parallel to each other that recall musical scores and lines. These pictorial scores are separated from each other by different visual intervals: ropes, threads, branches, stairs or sea waves, which become light and ethereal elements, where Puccini's imagery echoes. Thanks to the exhibition, the suggestions and characters of Puccini's masterpieces come to life again, including Tosca, Turandot, Manon Lescaut, Suor Angelica, La Fanciulla del West, Madama Butterfly.

 In addition to the paintings inspired by operas, the following are on display in the exhibition: a representation of the Antilisca, an imaginary being, a sort of "female bird" that Puccini often spoke about to his friends, in his estate in Torre del Lago; the Incipit of the Old Testament, a book that Puccini particularly loved, quoting it to his acquaintances, and finally, a visual quote by Pia de' Tolomei, inspired by the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, a poet particularly dear to the composer, to underline the profound affinities with the Puccinian female figures.

The exhibition, curated by Francesca Barbi Marinetti, Cinzia Guido and Sonia Martone, enjoys the recognition of the National Committee for the “Puccini100” celebrations, the only pictorial exhibition of the large program dedicated to Giacomo Puccini, as well as the auspices of the Presidency of the Chamber's Culture Commission of the Deputies.

The artist Corrado Veneziano, who has a Doctorate in Art and Music and a degree in Literature, after a first theatrical commitment as a director with the Venice Biennale in the artistic direction of Maurizio Scaparro, was a teacher at Santa Cecilia and at the National Academy of Dramatic Art Silvio D'Amico; in recent years he has concentrated his creative activity in the pictorial field.

Photo credits: Corrado Veneziano -Tosca, oil on canvas (top detail)