Page 34 - Studio International - September 1965
P. 34

Emilio  Greco  The  Earthly and The  Heavenly  Love



                             by J.  P.  Hodin





















































                            Photo: MARIANNE ADELMANN











                             Emilio  Greco,  the  Italian  sculptor,  has  been  presented   soul-less  mechanisation,  in  the  chaos  of  unbelief,  in
                             to  us  predominantly  as the  sculptor  of  feminine  grace   materialism, dread and speed, he rigorously rejects the
                             and  beauty  (see  The  Studio.  April.  1957).  Although   idols  set  up,  some  decades  ago,  by  the  wordy  and
                             he has produced works on other themes as well,  such   melodramatic leaders of  Futurism.  His credo lies in the
                             as  the  monument  for  the  author  of  Pinocchio  in   human.  He believes that civility and beauty, that grace,
                             Collodi,  or  for  the  founder  of  the  Olivetti  factory  in   elegance and the lyricism of art and thought can restore
                             lvrea,  or  again  fine  portraits  of  men  such  as  Testa   our lost inner equilibrium, he believes in art as a remedy
                             d'uomo,  his main preoccupation hitherto has been the   for  our  time-bound  evils,  he  is  convinced  that  refine­
                             female  body  in  movement  or  the  enigmatic  heads  of   ment and perfection  are the signs of  a mature culture,
                             beautiful  women.  Greco  is  the  youngest  of  the  three   he does not resign before the onslaught of primitivism,
                             modern  Italian  masters  who  have  known  how  to   the  vulgar,  the  brutal,  unbound passion  and  bestiality.
                             combine  the  tenets  of  the  classical  tradition  with  the   His is the realm of love not of sex, his is the faith in the
                             requirements of  our modern industrial age,  its nervous   eternal  not  in  the  ever-changing  present  his  is  what
                             tensions, its restlessness. the dilemma of  Existentialism.   always  has  been  the  sign  of  dignity  in  the  spirit  of
                             Lately  Greco  has  advanced  to  a  mature  mastership­  Pico  della  Mirandola,  not  the  stigma  of  hysterical
                             mature,  even  when  measured  against  the greatness  of   vitality only.  Far from being decadent, he is one of the
     1                       Roman,  Gothic  or  Renaissance  art-and  not  only   few  modems  who  have  experienced  harmony  in
     Grande Bagnante no: 6  1964
     (Detail)                commands our admiration as an artist but as a humanist   themselves. the balance of the opposing forces of which
                             who  has  found  answers  to  our  most  perturbing  inner   life is composed:  in a word, the secret of the Olympian
     2
     Portrait Pamela II 1964   problems.  Instead  of  losing  himself  as  others  do,  in  a   Greek spirit.  Probably himself  Greek  by origin  (he is  a
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