Matthew Collins

Per un italiano forse non c’è modo migliore per imparare e apprezzare la propria storia di volgere lo sguardo alla nostra arte nelle varie epoche. Al Cleveland Museum of Art è possibile tracciare le nostre radici culturali, periodo per periodo, dall’arte pre-romana agli artisti contemporanei.

There is perhaps no better way for an Italian to learn about and increase their appreciation for the history of their people than to look at Italian art through the ages. While the Cleveland Museum of Art is in the process of reopening the doors to their many world class galleries, as recently took place with the galleries in the East Wing, Italians and Italian Americans will once again be availed of an excellent opportunity to trace their cultural roots, period by period, from the art preceding Classical Antiquity to the expressions of contemporary Italian artists today.  Amidst the many cultures and times represented in the museum, those originating from Italy are in no way underrepresented. To demonstrate the potential for one to discover new things about their Italian heritage at the CMA, what follows is a “light-speed tour” through major periods of Italian art, as they can be seen and appreciated in this museum. Some of the art mentioned here has yet to be restored to CMA walls, but hopefully this will only add to the anticipation of the unveiling of more galleries in this new and improved museum. 

Before the Romans came on the scene, the Etruscans were a prominent civilization on the Italian peninsula. The Cleveland Museum of Art has a very good collection of Etruscan works.  Many of these are dated back to the sixth, seventh and eighth centuries BC. The variety of Etruscan works in the CMA collection is very impressive, ranging from pottery to jewelry to figurines and statues. As a result, much can be learned about their life and culture by visiting the museum. For example, the collection includes a candelabrum stand of a dancing Maenad. This curious form is of a female worshipper and follower of Dionysus, the god of wine; and so we discover something about one form of worship and ritual that existed among the Etruscans.

In addition to works from the Etruscans, the CMA has fascinating pieces from other parts of pre-Roman Italy, including art from areas such as Campania, Apulia and Sardinia.

The CMA’s collection also does well in representing the life and times of Ancient Rome. Art that falls under this category can date to earlier than 500 BC and later than 300 AD, and so the wide variety of art is not surprising. Among all the art of Classical Antiquity, perhaps the most memorable works that appear in a museum are the idealized images of the Roman Emperors. Of course, it was their intention that these images would be difficult to forget. One such work in the CMA is a life-sized bronze statue of the Emperor as Philosopher. The Emperor is probably Marcus Aurelius, whose reign was from 161 to 180 AD.

Stepping forward now to medieval times, we encounter yet another magnificent display of art in the Cleveland Museum. Once again, there are plenty of works of art that were created in Italy in this collection. During medieval times, manuscript illumination was a very important form of art. By looking at these manuscripts we can learn of the religious devotion of the times, as well as the wealth and taste of the manuscripts’ patrons. One interesting manuscript in the CMA collection was created in Florence and dates to the twelfth century. It is probably the first page of a book containing the Gospel of St. Matthew. An image of St. Matthew appears on the upper right half of the page. On the bottom and left-hand part of the page is an enlarged and attractively decorated “L.” Other fascinating medieval Italian works in the collection include crosses, reliquaries, and paintings.

Perhaps the best-known and most highly appreciated period of Italian art is the Renaissance.  Many artists of this period were truly masters of their craft, and the CMA has plenty of works that demonstrate this. One captivating piece by Sandro Botticelli, Virgin and Child with the Young John the Baptist, dating to around 1490, is an excellent example. Botticelli’s tremendous skill in rendering the bodies and their drapery, along with the emotive evocation of interest among the three figures, is capable of keeping an onlooker standing before this painting for lengthy periods of time.

The Baroque is the next major period to follow the Italian Renaissance, and Caravaggio is often the first name that comes to mind when thinking of Baroque artists. Many of his paintings are very large and extremely theatrical. In his works, figures often appear in front of a dark and shadowy background, and numerous of his pieces revolve around the death of a character in the painting. The Crucifixion of St. Andrew in the CMA is one such work.

We now move ahead to the neoclassical period of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. At this time, in Italy as well as other countries, there was a desire to create work that appears as if it were done in Ancient Rome. A good example of this is a sculpture in the CMA by Antonio Canova, Terpsichore, Muse of Choral Song and Dance. Aside from certain obvious clues that this work does not date back two thousand years, such as the fact that it is in excellent condition, some people very well might be fooled into thinking this image of a woman dressed in an ancient Roman costume and standing beside a harp was created by the Romans themselves!

Finally, modern and contemporary Italian artwork can also be found in the CMA collection. One painting, attributed to George di Chirico (along with a Spanish painter) titled Metaphysical Interioris very typical of his mysterious and philosophical works. Contemporary Italian artists Ugo Adriano Graziotti and Gianfranco Ferroni are also represented in the CMA.

Hopefully this fast-paced glance through Italian art at the Cleveland Museum of Art will inspire further discoveries about the art and culture of Italy that lie hidden among CMA galleries.