A Japanese tradition from Renaissance times

Contemporary "Naked Raku" by
famous English artist David Roberts

If we wish to find something in common between late Renaissance ceramics and the wonderful contemporary ceramics of the "Naked Raku" art, we may notice that the only thing connecting the two arts is the temperature of the firing in the kiln.

Also from the point of the view of the patterns, in the "Naked Raku" there is no use of the perspective. But by researching and reading more about "Raku Nudo" (in Italian), we learn that the tradition started in Japan in the late 16th century producing small cups, also known as vessels, for their tea ceremonies.

Common Japanese tea pots

In the late 16th century in Italy, Rome was the most important center for the arts. At that time artists were converging in Rome from all over Italy and from Europe, looking for contractors, mostly working in new churches, new monasteries, newly built chapels but also for private homes, usually artistocratic families related or orbitating in the circles of Cardinals, Bishops and the Pope himself, whose state was isolated from the rest of the events of Italy.

Shield of Vatican City State

Additionally the Roman Church was going through a period of rebirth and relaunch as a reaction to the Protestant movements in Europe, while the middle class in Italy had lost its power as a consequence of the invasions of other European countries. Indeed after a long period of peace towards the end of the 15th century the French King Charles VIII invaded Italy (A.D. 1494) starting a long period of wars (called "Wars of Italy"), during which the most powerful countries in Europe fought for the control of Italy. This situation ended in 1559 only, with the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis which heavily changed the geographical profile of the peninsula.

On the other hand Europe had discovered Japan around A.D. 1542-1543 through a group of Portuguese Jesuits who ended up in Japan from China, where they had arrived as missionaries, driven to Japan in  their boat under a storm. This discovery opened new important markets to European traders, it is through this discovery and thanks to the Portuguese Jesuits that we acquired the tradition of tea in Europe. The first countries to welcome the tea tradition were France and Holland (tea was first imported by the "Dutch company of the East Indies"), then welcomed with great success by Great Britain (around A.D. 1650) where it became the national English beverage.

At the end of the 16th century this is the new pattern
that we find in Deruta ceramics. It is called "compendiario" (tr.compendiary) and
will be a distinctive pattern of the 17th century especially in central Italy.

Florence is celebrating Japanese art and heritage this year with the exhibition "Giappone, terra di incanti" (tr. Japan. Land of enchantments) from April 3rd to July 1st, 2012 at Pitti Palace, where the first Japanese ambassadors stayed in 1585, when they visited Italy for the first time.

Link to Pitti Palace - Japan. Land of enchantments

CONTEMPORARY TOKENS OF LOVE

A contemporary token of love: a hand painted T-shirt

THE FIRST ARTISTIC T-SHIRT COMPETITION HAS TAKEN PLACE IN CORCIANO, ITALY

(comments to the winning T-shirts following this article)  

Lovers' cups in the Renaissance were tokens of love, the beloved ones wanted to express all their love to their soulmates with a real piece of ceramics to make their love eternal. With the passing of time we have lost this tradition, although its memory is still alive, which is the idea of something to express your everlasting love with.

Example of a ceramics Renaissance Lovers' cup,
a round
plate with the portrait of the betrothed.

By following this theme an interesting exhibition in Corciano, Perugia (Church-Museum of Saint Francis) was inaugurated on April 21st, 2012 in the occasion of the annual event "Primavera dell'Artigianato" (Arts & Crafts Spring Celebrations), this year for its 20th year.

190 different T-shirt were the subject of this exhibition which was using very original structures and contemporary music in the background, what was stunning for its contrast to the romanesque Church-Museum of Saint Francis. For the opening, visitors also enjoyed a show of young local hip-hop dancers.

The title of the exhibition took inspiration from the famous payoff of the "Baci Perugina", the Perugina chocolate candies called "kisses", which was "Dillo con un bacio" (tr."say it with a kiss", "express your love with a kiss"). These chocolate candies are also considered as small tokens of love.

These T-shirts took part to a competition divided into two sections: "Artists" and "Students" and the public was their voters.

Corciano, Perugia: "Ti Amo! Dillo con una t-shirt - Artigianato per Amore" (tr."I love you! Say it with a t-shirt - Arts & Crafts with love") from April 21st to May 1st, Church-Museum of Saint Francis, Corciano, Perugia, Italy. For those who wish to know more, catalogue of the exhibition available, price is 10 euros.

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                     And the Winners are..."Omnia Vincit Amor" and  "L' Amour Me Se Fame Jamais"

OMNIA VINCIT AMOR
Artists Section

Here is the winning T-shirt in the "Artists section" with the famous latin expression: "OMNIA VINCIT AMOR"  which means "Love conquers everything", the complete aphorism is "OMNIA VINCIT AMOR ET NOS CEDAMUS AMORI" (tr."Love conquers everything and we give up to Love") by Latin poet Virgil (Bucoliche X, 69).

The T-shirt is Signed by AMOR (tr.Love)! 

More about this -shirt will follow in a dedicated post. Subscribe to this blog or become a Friend of Cama on facebook for updating, also available on Twitter.

L' AMOUR ME SE FAME JAMAIS  
Students Section

As a translator by reading the expression "L'amour me se fame jamais" and without looking at the T-shirt, I may say that these students will have to study French a little more, unless what they are writing is a play on words I am not aware of or it is a joke. The correct expression in French is: 

"L' amour ne se fane jamais" which means "Love never fades", in Italian it is usually translated with the expression "L'amore non tramonta mai" ("tramontare" is the romantic verb we use in Italy for something that ends) where the word "tramonto" translates "sunset" and actually the sunset is in the drawing as the starting image, which makes us think of some exotic places, with a camera on its left side and everything printed on a film out of a roller. The unrolling film carries two additional images: in the second image the English expression "I love you" (I + heart + Yo?) and in the third image a young couple hugging, and looking in the camera. 

Going back to the the authors (I notice two signatures on the right lower part that I cannot read competely but may be French names) from an overall look at the T-shirt, I suppose they might be of French origins and probably the expression they wrote is a reminder of their country of origin, which makes this expression extremely sweet and valuable thanks to the errors. Also it is interesting to notice that the concept of the sunset is an important element of the message of eternal love beyond its original expression in French, beyond its original words (how interesting the coincidence with the Italian translation). By looking at the beautiful African-French (?) teenager in the T-shirt I think of Haiti and I think that the sunset might belong to these memories, the only sunset we can think of when true love conquers us and we feel completely defeated by his fine arrows. 

"Let Love conquer you, there is no better defeat in life",  Roberta Niccacci

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about the translation of  "gift of love", "token of love", to me the best definition in Italian is "pegno d'amore".

If you wish to know more about Renaissance tokens of Love visit my first blog: www.bertabella.blogspot.com

                   

The history of Deruta and its artistic influences in Assisi and Rome

Store ceramic sign in Assisi dated 1923. 

The history of Deruta is much related both to Assisi and Rome for different reasons.

First of all the latest discovery about the Deruta ceramic tradition is a document stating that the first ceramics delivery was to a convent in Assisi in 1282 (water and wine pitchers).

Secondly, Assisi has always been one of the best shop windows for Deruta ceramics. Stores in Assisi have been floridly filled with Deruta ceramics for decades, setting the trend for souvenir shopping.

Rome was more inspiring to Deruta from the point of view of the art itself. When we think of Rome and Deruta ceramics, we think of the Vatican rooms painted by Raphael with classical grotesques and of the Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo. The ceramic art tradition of Deruta reached its best expression in the Renaissance period because it was inspired by great Renaissance artists.

Milan and Perugia were other Deruta shopping towns. In the 1920s major Deruta workshops opened here their own stores there. Indeed the 1920s were a second Renaissance period for arts & crafts in Europe. They were a moment of glory especially for Deruta, whose path towards a ceramic art revival had started at the end of the 1800s. 

Within this time frame, we would like to remember the guest artist David Zipirovic (Kherson, Ukraine 1885- Moscau, Russia 1946), who worked in Deruta between 1923 and 1927. He accepted the invitation of the factory "Società Anonima Maioliche Deruta" and greatly contributed to bringing back the Renaissance ceramic tradition in Deruta. David Zipirovic was specialized in the ceramic reproduction of works of art of the most important Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo, Raffaello, Pinturicchio, Perugino. David Zipirovic had learned the Renaissance painting techniques as a student at the Academy of Beaux-Arts in Paris and as an art grant holder in Rome.

David Zipirovic widely encouraged the tradition of the so-called "tracing paper" on ceramics,  a technique that was in use in the Renaissance period to transfer the works of art from paper to the walls. As a curiosity, upon restoration of the Sistine Chapel in the years 1980-1994 close-ups of the frescoes showed the use of nails to trace the outline of the scenes upon application of cardboards. In Deruta nails were replaced by needles and cardboards were replaced by tissue papers. 

example of a tracing paper from Deruta, Italy - dots allow the charcoal to leave a trace on the
ceramic surface by using a pouch. The best painters will do the outline with the finest brushes. Charcoal is not fire-resistant, this is why it is necessary to outline the dot lines by the use of water paints. Michelangelo used this technique in Rome in the Sistine Chapel.

Mr. David Zipirovic was very well welcomed in Deruta and had many followers. One of his best pupils born in Deruta was Mr. Cesare Teobaldo Pimpinelli (Deruta, Italy 1909 - Gualdo Tadino, Italy 1991). Cama Deruta was proud to have Mr. Cesare Teobaldo Pimpinelli as a guest artist early 1970s. He painted beautiful Renaissance collection plates - such as the herewith following example - which are now part of the private collection of the Renato and Elena Niccacci family, owners of Cama Deruta.

Reproduction of the Prophet Zachary from the Sistine Chapel, original by Michelangelo Buonarroti. By Cesare Teobaldo Pimpinelli, citizen of Deruta and pupil of David Zipirovic.

In 2000 a beautiful art book about David Zipirovic was published by Giulio Busti and Franco Cocchi: "David Zipirovic a Deruta. Maioliche 1923-1927" (tr."David Zipirovic in Deruta. Ceramic pieces from 1923 to 1927") published by  CENTRO DI della Edifini s.r.l. Florence. Also catalogue of the exhibition held in the same year at the one-time factory premises of the "Società Anonima Maioliche Deruta",  popularly known as "Fabbrica Grande" (tr. "the big factory"), which is nowadays the seat of Deruta middle school.

Cover of the book "David Zipirovic a Deruta. Maioliche 1923-1927" 

I did this research upon request of a Cama customer, Theresa J.,  who expressed the wish to know more about this subject.

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Original Posts by Roberta Niccacci -

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