Eternity and Time from Michelangelo to Caravaggio

Culture and solidarity are once again to the fore in 2018 as Mapei is a Platinum Partner in supporting the exhibition devised and promoted by Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Forlì in partnership with Forlì City Council.

The exhibition entitled “Eternity and Time between Michelangelo to Caravaggio (L’Eterno e il Tempo tra Michelangelo e Caravaggio)” officially opened on 10^th February at the San Domenico Museums in Forlì and will run until the 17^th of June. The exhibition looks at the way in which the values of art change from the Renaissance to the Baroque era in relation to the works and masterpieces of Michelangelo and various other artists, including Raphael, Rosso Fiorentino, Pontormo, Vasari, the Carraccis, Titian and Caravaggio.

Mapei is continuing to support events held at the San Domenico Museums in Forlì, after sponsoring the exhibitions “Piero della Francesca. Exploring a Legend” in 2015 and “Art Déco. The Roaring Twenties in Italy” in 2016, as you can read in Realtà Mapei International no. 57 and 63.

Once again, the takings from ticket sales for the exhibition will help finance research into children’ tumours, including prevention and health care, as part of the Fabbrica del Sorriso projects organised by Mediafriends.

Mapei is even more visible with its logo appearing on the communication tools distributed at the exhibition, online, and in the TV special about the exhibition produced and broadcast in Italy by Sky Arte HD, which was on air during prime time from 28^th February to 5^th March, plus a further 20 repeats at later dates.

A SUMPTUOUS CULTURAL DISPLAY

For the first time ever after holding twelve previous exhibitions at the San Domenico Museums, the display begins from the old San Giacomo Apostolo Church and then extends across the ground-floor and first-floor premises of old home of the Dominicans.

“If we have now reached the 13^th international exhibition at San Domenico Museum - so the President of Cassa dei Risparmi Foundation, Roberto Pinza, stated at the official opening of the exhibition - it is because we firmly believe in the need to maintain this cultural/promotional enterprise.”.

“This work takes great organisation and plenty of investment – so he continued - but we are delighted to be so committed to creating and organising (we do not merely copy other projects, we devise our own) exhibitions of the highest order that attract so many people: our ambition is to add something more to all the research that had already been carried out into the 16^th century”.

The mayor of Forlì, Davide Drei, focused on the importance of renovating the church and using it to host major exhibitions: “I would like to point out that this place was completely run down and dilapidated in 1978 when the roof collapsed. The fact that now, just forty years later, it can host works by Caravaggio and Michelangelo is an extraordinary thing for our city. The partnership between the City Council and Foundation has resulted in another extremely important project”.

 “For three years now - so Massimo Ciampa representing Mediafriends (the non-profit social-utility organisation run by Mondadori, Medusa and Mediaset) noted - part of the ticket takings from the exhibition at San Domenico Museums have gone towards fundraising activities to help young children in Italy and around the world break free from poverty, suffering and marginalisation. Over the first two years, the project managed to collect 4,200,000 Euros, which was donated to 8 research and care projects”.

Since the President of the Scientific Committee, Antonio Paolucci, could not attend the opening event, Professor Daniele Benati was given the job of presenting the exhibition. He noted that after four events devoted to the 20^th century, this year the San Domenico Museums feature a highly emotional exhibition layout focused around the 16^th century, the century that paved the way for our modern age.

HOW THE RENAISSANCE CAME TO AN END

190 works are on display, including a Raphael, three Caravaggios (we need only mention The Pilgrims’ Madonna and The Sacrifice of Isaac), a marble sculpture and six drawings by Michelangelo, two works by Pontormo, a Rosso Fiorentino, a Vasari, a Moretto, a Rubens and various other works by the Carraccis (Enrico, Annibale and etchings by Agostino).

“Eternity and Time between Michelangelo and Caravaggio” provides an overview of one of the highest and most fascinating moments in Western history. The years stretching, ideally, from the Sack of Rome (1527) to the death of Caravaggio (1610), from the beginning of the Protestant Reform (1517-1520) to the Council of Trent (1545-1563), and from Michelangelo’s Last Judgement (1541) to Galileo’s Sidereus Nuncius (1610), heralded the beginning of modern times. The San Domenico Museums provide a perfect stage for the drama and intrigue of a century that witnessed the disturbing death spasms of a magnificent twilight (that of the Renaissance) and the opening up of new and enlightened horizons through the great masterpieces of Mannerism.

In Italy, the bloodiest battle of all in the fight for modern painting was fought out in the realm of church commissioned painting and Caravaggio was the key player in this battle. From Michelangelo’s late works to the other great artists on display, an aesthetic web of references and innovations extends out to breathe life into a new age.

CONSTANT COMMITMENT TO PEOPLE IN NEED

The exhibition in Forli perfectly embodies Mapei’s constant commitment to projects combining culture and solidarity work.

For many years now, Mapei has been supporting various musical evenings for collecting donations for scientific research carried out by associations like the Negri Weizmann Foundation, LILT (the Italian Anti-Tumour League) and the Milan Committee of the Italian Red Cross. For instance, Mapei recently sponsored an extraordinary concert organised by the Veronesi Foundation to finance research into women’s tumours.