Particularly, in the Bottega we had an important challenge, working
with small spaces such as the bathroom and kitchen. There, the project had to go along
with the functionality of these spaces, as they were small.
In such work, we always try to recover the beauty that came to us,
without making historical falsehoods. To achieve this, it is important
to use artisans who come from the best Florentine tradition, and who employ it
in their work, complemented by materials and objects of
the best Italian design. Hence, in the final result, it is clear
what has been recovered, and what has been inserted, and represents our time.
Technically, [it was] the usual challenge of frescos.
From a technical standpoint. With the portraits
of such individuals, the true challenge is here:
a specific weight of our history, of the world – so mostly from
a conceptual point of view.
This is because I, as a painter, rely on an image. That image
must have in itself some traits so that, at the very least,
those who know the story of the portrayed character, or
even those who know just a small part of it – those
who have not furthered their knowledge – may find some
small details within the image, in a way that such image speaks of the person.
Or, for those who already know the person, find again what
they already knew of this person, and see it confirmed:
here, in Kofi Annan, clearly his
authority, which he sought and had.
It was only a matter of time to determine the composition
of materials for the lime – for all the layers, to make her eternal as
an image. Then, care in the details, from the first step,
from cutting the silhouette in the white wall with a cutter – and then carve
as deep as the plaster with this shape, right?
This shape, before reaching its current state as we see it,
needs structure. Here, truly, concept and realisation
really get along because, it needs structure. Perhaps this image
does not generally need structure. But, it has it. And I wanted to
to render it in the realisation as well. Hence, the attention to detail.
I chose the safest way – which is the oldest.
These are recipes that were used, well, 1500 years ago, 2000 years ago,
so I do not need a technical datasheet to tell me that the product lasts
as we have 2000 years of stories.
I challenge any other material.
Here there was a certain moment when I almost had – but I had to tame it, yet it
was beautiful to enjoy every single second, every single gesture – because I had
a frenzy to see her finished, because I already knew how she would be. I knew it
from the very beginning. At the start, Professor Bergsmo, when he had this
idea, I could not believe it. I could not believe it because
it was already an image that ran
through my head, for years, yes, her, and others.
And Professor Bergsmo came up with this lightning idea, and I said: ‘Finally,
finally I have the opportunity to make it, sharing it with someone who truly, truly
perceives its power’. What better chance to do it, together with the professor.
Immediately he had this fascination with this subject as a fresco.
I concurred, but at that time, I would have
given the power and the conceptual strength of this image
I would have rather wanted it in a more – allow me to use the term – ‘street art’ version.
By using the technique of the fresco as a spray can, as a regular aerosol art; the first
example that comes to mind is Banksy, who actually used this image
ironically, let us say, the children holding McDonald’s clown in one hand,
and Mickey Mouse in the other. And I
pictured it immediately like this, in black and white, because I did not really need the pigmentation
of the skin, because that was not the deal.
Then, with the professor, as is often the case, we speak, and discuss.
I saw him rather doubtful about this,
not because of the technique in itself, but for another aspect. Then
I thought: ‘So, if we want to make the child,
and if we want her to be true, then we will make her true.
Then we will make her come out of the wall,
not only with the painting, but let us make this child
in the wall, affrescata’.
The idea, when I thought about it for the first time, I smiled, because I said to myself:
'Alberto, what are you doing?’. But it is like it is: she had to be made.
And then she appeared in my head. From that moment onwards,
I waited only for the day when the work on the child would finish.
I could not wait, because I already knew, I already knew.
The marvel of the realisation process are the unforeseen things, and I could not wait
to understand which unforeseen things this work would present, and
how to work along with them to complete it.
Usually, when you work with your hands, as a painter or a sculptor, unforeseen things
are the non plus ultra of the final work,
if one is able to recognise and work along with them.
Having said this, she is my pietà,
she is our pietà. I said ‘my’ because I really imagined
her as a pietà. But the pietà is ours, as its concept cannot be individual:
pietà is universal and hence she has within herself all the traits.
If we think about the first pietà,
the people in the world would think about,
the Pietà by Michelangelo. There are billions of them, but she,
she is the Pietà – Christian, a Christian concept.
This is a pietà which is secular, she is ours, of everyone –
there is no theology in this, it is a human concept, of us all.
Thus, which better subject can represent pietà
than Kim Phuc, this nine-year-old child,
with this thin body, fragile as a leaf.
At the same time, most beautiful,
like the body of a child, of an adolescent, so fragile
but, what can I say, almost light in its elegance.
And, on the other hand, butchered, melting,
dripping flesh, the facial muscles almost
atrophied by the scream.
Sullied feet, with burned clothes.
Well, if this is not pietà! Little is missing.
And so, yes, she is complete,
she is complete.
Really, if I think about the workings behind this,
I have to think that all the work behind her is complete, from the first
layer to the last – and they are many, in order for her to last.
The genre of the portrait is that which, in the most direct manner,
puts man in front of the idea he has of himself.
More particularly, as regards the so-called physiognomic portrait,
the will to reproduce the exterior aspect of the subject
is combined with an attempt to let his interior psychological values come through.
The work that they have undertaken throughout their lives makes them role-models.
I have felt a certain sense of responsibility when I was making these portraits,
a responsibility linked to the knowledge of the need to impress
on the canvas not only an image that could be recognised,
but also an image that is worthy of representing
human qualities which are worthy of emulation.
This required some care, and attention to detail.
The same attention to detail which I used
to make the portraits of the winners of the justice award
named after Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni.
These portraits have, in my opinion, a twofold objective:
on the one hand, they are a tribute to those who have been awarded;
on the other, in my view, they can represent
a visible source of inspiration for all those
who wish to follow the examples set by these men and these women.
Here, as I said, we have restored wood, always fir, which is old, as
old wood has a colouring due to oxidation with the passage of time.
The wood we used was recovered from old beams,
which both I and Morten had, and we introduced them
precisely to obtain this marvellous aesthetics which later came to be.
This work was decided step-by-step, since you cannot decide everything at once.
One cannot imagine how by enriching something you can reach
a certain result, because sometimes
you might cross the line. In my case, I was always, at every step,
together with the commissioner, Morten, who
knew how to convey to me what he wanted;
but I also knew how to convey to him what result could be achieved.
To me, it was neither a competition, nor doing something
different from what I felt inside on the first day we took a decision.
Of course, the first day was discomforting, because reaching the end of this job
seemed to me a bit challenging,
even if I have worked on many ceilings, well, during my time
working on restaurations. When you look from the ground,
as in this case, at a ceiling, you might understand what
could be used, how to move forward. However, often,
when you actually get close, installing the scaffolding and putting your hands
for the first time on this object, you have new ideas.
And I proposed those ideas – which I had surely used in other contexts – but
these are things that should be introduced gradually, moving forward with the job.
I mean, I proposed my techniques, and Morten accepted because
he saw that it worked: that is, using materials that were even innovative,
but which at the same time would provide a certain aesthetic and functional result,
ancient as the ceiling is, and aesthetic, as the ceiling is.
When we make things in which you have put a bit of your own personal expression,
as is the case of the ceiling, I proposed him possible changes to make,
and he accepted them. I also feel good, I mean, I did not denaturalise my thought
and, thus, I moved forward. When I enter, I feel at ease in saying:
‘Look, this is how I also thought, this is like …’.
The result comes across well, and hence you feel well in such a space.
It is not cold, it is heated by a thought which
gives value to all the smallest details, we could say, well.
This natural wax, beeswax, keeps the wood always fat, saturated, so it will
never need to be too thin, or dry. This is because, let us remember,
wood is always a living anima.
Wood that is cut today, one hundred years from now, as I will always repeat,
is always a living anima. It always has dilation with humidity,
and shrinking when it is too warm.
A good work, which lasts in time, and a beautiful thing to see.
For the fixtures, so the doors and the entrance door, we have two
qualities [of wood] which are again fir, as a door in the Bottega was fir,
so we reutilised the same material to be able to recreate
the space. For the entrance door it is cypress,
an even nobler wood which should better withstand the weather:
the restauration of the entrance has been done with cypress.
In fact, the difference between old and new tiles is that, first of all, the old ones
give you a satisfaction which new ones cannot, because old tiles have
those imperfections which, ultimately, make them beautiful, both in colour
and in the shapes that they might have. Sometimes a little larger, or a bit smaller.
It is also because, back in the day, they did not have all the machines
that exist today – hence, they were hand-made in the truest sense, so
you have imperfections which enhance their beauty, and which provide this effect of age.
A darker or brighter colour, a lighter shade of red.
Moreover, they also used preservation techniques that differ from those of today.
Now we have water based wax. But back in the day, they used cinabrese, a red product
that would be applied to tiles so that they would be more durable
with the passage of time, so that they would not erode.