Paolo Mariani

Year of birth: 1952
Where do you live: Verona
Describe your art in three words: rhythm, passion for life, singularity
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Your journey into art has been diverse, from graphics to restoration and sociology. How do these experiences influence your artistic vision today?

In 1965, at the age of 13, I became acutely aware that my life would inevitably be dedicated to art, alongside the myriad experiences that my “free spirit” yearned for. I understood during this period that a single lifetime would not suffice, and thus found a way to live at least four lives concurrently. This required optimizing time, carefully evaluating every choice, and offering employment opportunities to collaborators who would facilitate this approach. I had to become my own patron, constantly studying, working, and experimenting to realize the numerous dreams that impetuously manifested throughout my life (canoeist, sailor, seaplane pilot, hang glider, skydiver, surferand so on). The skills I acquired over time (art diploma, advertising graphics, industrial photography, geometer’s diploma, technical restoration, sociology degree, etc.) were never enough, and each proved fundamental in achieving all my predetermined goals. My artistic vision has been fundamentally influenced by two factors: the technical, derived from my knowledge of advertising graphics, which necessitated a perfect balance between rigor and creativity; and the emotional, stemming from the countless experiences and situations I lived and recorded in personal and work agenda, awaiting the opportunity to finally “liberate” and artistically realize them.

You’ve experimented with materials like polyester resins and fibreglass. How do these unconventional materials contribute to the meaning of your artworks?

I learned to use polyester resins and fiberglass at the age of 14 to build the canoes I used in sporting competitions. This knowledge proved invaluable initially for the construction of prototype lamps and artistic artifacts, and subsequently in certain sectors of monumental restoration.
Working with fiberglass pleasantly reminds me of the role reversal that momentarily occurred with my modeling professor at the time, the sculptor Lorenza Pagano Bonvicini, who, fascinated by this material, wanted to learn its secrets and create a bas-relief of Wiligelmo in pigmented resin together. Knowledge of these and other unconventional materials has greatly contributed to my current artistic choices, granting me the freedom to move without the constraints imposed by the limitations of certain traditional techniques.

Paolo Mariani, Arrival in Macerata at 9 p.m., 2023

Restoration plays a significant role in your career. How has working on historical monuments and landmarks shaped your understanding of art and its role in society?

The role of restoration in my career has fulfilled multiple needs. The daily contact with Beauty is an indispensable nourishment for an artist. Working on monuments or historically significant works has made me feel like a privileged person. and the personal and professional enrichment gained from collaborating with the best designers in the field has further amplified my creative desire.
Perhaps the only word that can encapsulate the objective complexities of this question is ‘awe’. An awe linked to the unique and singular world that revolves around each work I have encountered, standing in constant opposition to our increasingly codified and generalized daily life.

The symbols and colors in your works seem highly evocative. What do they represent, and how do they connect to your personal or societal themes?

The symbols and colours in my works are always linked to dynamic or contemplative moments, reflecting the uniqueness of my days. Loving life, I am drawn to sunny and primary colours, which, in contrast to the more twilight tones, best represent me. In my compositions, elements of ‘disturbance’ sometimes appear, generally linked to temporary restlessness: black stripes, as in ‘Ronzo Chienis ‘or ‘Versilia’, barriers that prevented me from experiencing those places and moments as I would have liked. Despite these barriers, the allure and magic of these ‘elsewheres’ are still present, and I strive to make them visible and understandable.

What role does your love for Verona play in your art, especially considering projects like the restoration of Juliet’s Balcony?

My love for Verona is complete. The water of the Adige River that flows through the city has been, and still is, an endless source of life, emotion, and inspiration. I could never live in a city without the water of a river, lake, or the sea! Verona, seen from within the bed of its river, reveals itself as unique, magical, and captivating in every season. When, for work reasons, I had the opportunity to contemplate this river from the top of the ‘rampart walk’ inside the battlements of the Castelvecchio bridge, I remembered the nursery rhyme by Carducci about King Theodoric, who admired the Adige from the top of his castle.From this small experience, for example, I drew inspiration to create the work ‘The Green Adige at Castelvecchio.’ The work was exhibited in the foyer of Verona’s Teatro Ristori during the presentation of the film ‘La città macchina’ and will soon follow it in an exhibition at MAXXI in Rome.
In 2017, as a token of my love for Verona, I gifted the city the complete restoration and structural assessment of Juliet’s Balcony. Bringing this dream to life required more than two years of work. In addition to the design phase and its subsequent approval, the bureaucratic and administrative procedures also took a considerable amount of time and patience. However, the actual construction work proceeded as planned, adhering to a very strict schedule. When, on November 16, 2017, the protective coverings were finally removed and “Juliet” was able to return to her restored balcony, the satisfaction I felt was immense and more than repaid all the efforts made.

Your paintings feature a fascinating interplay of color, texture, and layered compositions. What is the process behind constructing these intricate visuals?

My layered compositions are born and realized in the same way that a project unfolds. Starting from an initial note, jotted down in my agenda, I mentally, or with the help of quick sketches, try to find the best solutions to graphically convey the emotions of those situations or places that I wanted to immortalize. Sometimes, the image has already been developed over time, and all I have to do is proceed with its physical realization. Other times, in a kind of daydreaming state, I find myself thinking for hours during the night, trying to find the right placement for shapes and colors until every part of the whole satisfies me completely.

Paolo Mariani, Versilia, 2000