What you should know about ceramics along the Amalfi coast
- At February 01, 2017
- By Zia Lucy
- In Positano Art
- 0
Since ancient times, Italy has been in love with ceramics and in the last hundred years, the Amalfi Coast has emerged as a major center for Italian ceramics. The red clay of Italy, mixed richly with limestone, creates the perfect medium for pottery making.
Ceramics are characterized by the vibrancy of colors, often reflecting the blue of the see and the golden sunshine. Visitors from all over the world take home pieces of this pottery to decorate their own homes across the globe. Here’s what you should know about this unique and captivating art form.
History
Long ago, when Italy was part of the Roman Empire, ceramic pottery was a widely-used everyday household object. It didn’t matter if you were a slave or the emperor, you would use pottery every day. Although this tradition has decreased somewhat over the years, ceramics are still a popular art form in many parts of Italy. The most famous place for ceramics is certainly the Amalfi Coast. The long tradition of modern Amalfi Coast ceramics can be traced back to the 15th Century and by the 18th Century, the town of Vietri sul Mare had emerged as a leader in the ceramic arts field. This industry began to draw hundreds of artists to the region, catalyzing the production of ceramics for both practical and aesthetic purposes up and down the coast.
Method and Uses
The base of Amalfi Coast ceramics is red European clay. This clay, which usually contains limestone, is shaped by a potter and fired. After the pot is cooled, it is dipped into a while coating so that the colors of the design can stand out, free of red undertones. Next, the pottery goes to the hands of the artists. Some artists work for themselves, while others are part of a ceramics factory. Designs are traced lightly onto the piece, and then the painters carefully outline their designs. Finally, the artists fill in the colors with paints usually made of natural materials and mixed to the proper tone by hand. Finally, it is fired again to create a shiny exterior.
There are many uses for Amalfi Coast ceramics. Many buildings in the region are either partially or completely decorated with painted ceramic tiles on their outer walls. Some people tile their kitchens or use ceramics for practical purposes, such as tableware, vases, and bowls. Of course, some are purely decorative, like statues and other artistic pieces.
Read more»The Roman Villa in Positano
- At March 17, 2015
- By Zia Lucy
- In lifestyle in Positano, Positano, Positano Art
- 0
In Roman times, many villas were built along the Amalfi Coast.
Those villas were called “maritimae” as they were accessible by the sea.
Positano and the archipelago of Li Galli were chosen by rich romans or freedmen to build their luxury villas between the 1st BC and the beginning of the 1st AD.
Unfortunately, nowadays the two villas are difficult to visit.
The ruins of the Villa in Gallo Lungo (Li Galli) have been covered by the modern Villa of Leonide Massine and only when the sea water is really clear it is possible to see the small roman pier of the islands.
Regarding the Villa in Positano, it is situated into the center of the town, between Mulini Square and the Parish Church of Santa Maria Assunta.
The villa was probably covered and half destroyed by lapilli and mud during the Vesuvius Eruption of the 79 AD. It was discovered during the 17th century and then explored by Carl Weber during the 18th century.
According to some scholars (Della Corte), the villa was probably property of a gladiator, called Posides Claudi Cesaris libertus (a freedman to whom the emperor Claudius gave the “pure sword”, a trophy for victories on Britons). If this theory is right, the name of Positano could derive from Posides as the villa can be considered the “praedium posidetanum” (property of Posides).
For now, only one section of the villa has been explored and with a new structural restoration it will be possible to visit it.
photo by Francesco Fusco Positano
(courtesy of Francesco Fusco Positano)
Art & Craft: a gallery born out of passion
- At February 25, 2014
- By Zia Lucy
- In Positano Art, Senza categoria
- 0
Giancarlo Angeloni, a native-born of Bari, is a traveler and a realist painter observant on the human figure in the social context.
He moved to Positano for his love, the beautiful Roberta, and in 2006 opened an art gallery, Art & Craft, while painting the picturesque landscapes of the Amalfi Coast with oil or watercolor.
Located in Piazza del Saracino, close to the “Scalinatella”, the most popular stair of Positano, Art & Craft began a personal studio and art gallery whose purpose is to promote young artists and the various forms of art.
Giancarlo, with pleasantness and kindness, gladly welcomes the visitors and the lovers of the beautiful Positano, offering watercolors, sculptures, lamps and ceramics. His works, including the splendid views of Positano, are in museums and private collections around the world. Among the artists in his gallery there are Malacarne, Rotella, Diodati, Toraldo, Procopio, Pascali, Musante and Faccincani.
Artists: meeting Ferdinando and his family
- At July 08, 2013
- By Zia Lucy
- In Positano Art, Senza categoria
- 0
The first impression on entering his shop has been of a man who never wastes time: as soon as he saw me, Ferdinando showed his latest creations, a new line of menu holders, cutting boards and hang bags… if I had a restaurant, I would have bought it all!
Ferdinando is one of the few masters who survived the “IKEA AGE”. He learned the “art” from his father Crescenzo, artisan who instead of studying used to escape from school to the small family factory to help his father Ferdinando, and so on for about five generations that started from the master Giuseppe Parlato, who lived in the Nineteenth century. According to a research made by the same Ferdinando there are some traces of family members dedicated to woodworking since the Middle Ages.
Ferdinando’s curriculum vitae recalls the stories of those guys who, centuries ago, learned the craft in the workshops of master craftsmen: when he was 10, in fact, Ferdinando appeared in the shop to help his father Crescenzo, and then moved to Florence where he learned techniques of restoration,coating and gliding of wood. Back in Positano, he decided to break away from the family and begin a production of restoration and style decor with his wife Berenice: he took care of the practical side, she cared the aesthetic and commercial activities. Subsequently, Berenice separated from the wood craft to carry out another of her passions, the production of ceramics, while Ferdinando, who graduated in Interior Designer, developed projects for many shops on the Amalfi Coast.
Among the successes of Ferdinando we can highlight: the restoration of the vestry in Sant’Andrea delle Fratte in Rome in 2005 and the papal chair located in the diocese of Pompeii in 2008.
Another passion of Ferdinando is pyrography (a technique of engraving on wood by means of a heat source): “as a child,” he says, “I went to the beach with a magnifying glass to affect branches of wood found on the sand”. In addition, among its many resources, should be mentioned rehabilitation projects, exhibitions in Festival of Crafts and pyrography courses for those who want to dabble in this particular technique (worth a try).
In the family, however, Ferdinando and Berenice are not the only artists. Crescenzo and Giovanna, their children have followed the parents’ footsteps by adopting and adapting to new modern needs.
Crescenzo creates wood sunglasses while Giovanna works with her aunt Marina and Berenice in the ceramics workshop.
Well … a family of “full time” artists.
You can find Ferdinando here:
www.bottegadirestauro.com
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