Emilio Scanavino - Italian Abstract Art

Emilio Scanavino (Genoa, 28 February 1922 – Milan, 28 November 1986) was an Italian painter and sculptor. Scanavino was born in Genoa. In 1938 he enrolled to the Art School Nicolò Barabino where he met Mario Calonghi, who was teaching at the school and was due to be a great influence on Scanavino’s artistic formation. In 1942 he had his first exhibition at the Salone Romano of Genoa. In the same year he enrolled at the Faculty of Architecture at the Milan University. In 1946 he married Giorgina Graglia.In 1947 Scanavino moved to Paris where he met poets and artists such as Edouard Jaguer, Wols and Camille Bryen. This experience proved to be inspirational. He was especially interested in Cubism, which he rendered into a personal interpretation when he exhibited at the Gallery Isola in Genoa in 1948. In 1950 Scanavino and Rocco Borrella joined "I sette del Numero", an artistic group revolving around the Numero Gallery in Florence. In the same year he was invited to the 27th edition of the Venice Biennale and in 1951 he had a two-person exhibition with the sculptor Sarah Jackson at the Apollinaire Gallery in London.
After an initial interest in figurative art, Scanavino's paintings took Post-Cubist nuances. His forms became increasingly stylized, until being completely obliterated in the works from the early 1950s. In 1954 his characteristic sign, “stylized knot”, started to appear. That is the , eventually marking his whole production. In the late 1970s years paintings, the “knot” became perfectly defined and recognizable, although his work became darker, sometimes even threatening due to the conspicuous presence of red stains resembling blood. Although Scanavino is difficult to place inside a specific artistic movement, he can be considered an informal abstractist, close to the Abstract Expressionism and Hans Hartung and Georges Mathieu's art.Wikipedia

Tachisme - Emilio Scanavino

Emilio Scanavino (Genoa, 28 February 1922 – Milan, 28 November 1986) was an Italian painter and sculptor.In 1938 the young Scanavino enrolled to the Art School Nicolò Barabino of Genoa where he met his teacher Mario Calonghi, who had a great influence on Scanavino’s first formation. In 1942 he had his first exhibition at the Salone Romano of Genoa. In the same year he enrolled at the Faculty of Architecture at Milan University. In 1946 he married Giorgina Graglia.
In 1947 Scanavino moved, for the first time, to Paris where he met poets and artists such as Edouard Jaguer, Wols and Camille Bryen. This experience results invaluable on his stylistic grown. He especially assimilated Cubism echoes which he rendered into a personal interpretation since 1948 when he exhibited at the Gallery Isola of Genoa. In the '50 years He was part of the Group "I sette del Numero" of the Numero Gallery in Florence, together the other famous painter Rocco Borella. In 1950 he exhibited at the 25th edition of the Venice Biennale and in 1951 at the Apollinaire Gallery of London in a two-person exhibition with the sculptor Sarah Jackson.

During the sojourn in London he met Philip Martin, Eduardo Paolozzi, Graham Sutherland and Francis Bacon. In the same year he opened his first studio in Milan in an attic of the Foro Bonaparte. Critic Guido Ballo and gallery managers Guido Le Noci and Arturo Schwartz took care of his works.
Next year, 1952, he also worked at Marzotti’s Ceramic Factory in Albissola Marina, where he met many artists and became friends with some of them. Among them there were Lucio Fontana, Asger Jorn, Corneille, Roberto Matta, Wifredo Lam, Giuseppe Capogrossi, Enrico Baj, Sergio Dangelo, Roberto Crippa, Gianni Dova, Agenore Fabbri, Aligi Sassu etc.
In 1954 he exhibited again at the Venice Biennale (27th edition) and next year he received the Graziano Prize. In 1958 he earned Lissone Prize and joined Venezia Biennale with an own room, winning the Prampolini Prize. In the same year he signed a contract with the Naviglio Gallery directed by Carlo Cardazzo with whom he established an important friendship and working relation. He then moved to Milan with his family. Many critics took care of his works. Among them: Enrico Crispolti, Guido Ballo, Giampiero Giani, Edouard Jaguer, Gillo Dorfles, Roberto Sanesi, Franco Russoli and Alain Jouffroy.Wikipedia

Emilio Scanavino

Emilio Scanavino (Genoa, 28 February 1922 – Milan, 28 November 1986) was an Italian painter and sculptor.In 1938 the young Scanavino enrolled to the Art School Nicolò Barabino of Genoa where he met his teacher Mario Calonghi, who had a great influence on Scanavino’s first formation. In 1942 he had his first exhibition at the Salone Romano of Genoa. In the same year he enrolled at the Faculty of Architecture at Milan University. In 1946 he married Giorgina Graglia.

In 1947 Scanavino moved, for the first time, to Paris where he met poets and artists such as Edouard Jaguer, Wols and Camille Bryen. This experience results invaluable on his stylistic grown. He especially assimilated Cubism echoes which he rendered into a personal interpretation since 1948 when he exhibited at the Gallery Isola of Genoa. In the '50 years He was part of the Group "I sette del Numero" of the Numero Gallery in Florence, together the other famous painter Rocco Borella. In 1950 he exhibited at the 25th edition of the Venice Biennale and in 1951 at the Apollinaire Gallery of London in a two-person exhibition with the sculptor Sarah Jackson.

After a figurative start Scanavino's paintings rapidly took Post-Cubist character. Stylization of the forms kept growing until eventually totally fade out in the first 1950 years works. In 1954 his work's characteristic sign started to appear. That is the “stylized knot”, which would characterize all of his following production. The 1950s years works are among the most beautiful of Scanavino's career. Inside them it is possible to see the genesis of the painting transposition of the interiority, with all of its torment, which are the marking point of Scanavino's art.
In his late 1970s years paintings, the “knot” is perfectly defined and recognizable. Painted in anguishing forms, sometimes even threatening and stained of bloody red. Although Scanavino is difficult to place inside a defined artistic movement, he can be considered[by whom?] an informal abstractist, close to the Abstract Expressionism and Hans Hartung and Georges Mathieu's art.Wikipedia