(Telestock) – Wood as a means through which to communicate one’s own creative repertoire in whichalongside figures from the natural, fairy-tale, cosmic and religious worlds, there are images and suggestions from the most extreme technology. The exhibition of the Italian sculptor will be inaugurated today, Friday 13 September, in the splendid setting of Palazzo Doebbing in Sutri, in the province of Viterbo Ferdinando Codognotto, one of the most important exponents in the world of the art of wood carvingThe exhibition project dialogues with the large celebratory exhibition on Alessio Paternesi, pride of the Tuscia Viterbese, one year after his death.
The Codognotto exhibition, strongly desired by the patron and philanthropist Emmanuele FM Emanuele, who dedicated more than two years of his efforts to bring it to light, it is promoted and created by the Terzo Pilastro – Internazionale Foundation, chaired by Alessandra Taccone, in collaboration with the Municipality and the Municipal Department of Culture of Sutri.
Visitors will be able to admire four large sculptures created by Maestro Codognotto, at different times in his life, in Swiss pine (or Swiss pine, mountain pine) from Val di Fiemme, using the electric band saw technique. These are the works entitled “Marlin” (the only one of the four painted with acrylic colors), “Amanti – Abbraccio Infinito” (created in 1972), “Cavallo del
future” and “Plant of prosperity and abundance”.
Codognotto – we read in the official note – is not an idealist. The artist does not claim, through his works, an unreal world, suspended in its perfection. Above all, he does not elevate a single aspect of his poetics to the protagonist, preferring nature, technology, religion or fairy tales: rather, he draws attention to the possibility of a reconciliation of the parties through artistic dialogue.
“The sensitivity towards art and the attention of Baron Emanuele, our Honorary Citizen, gives us the opportunity to implement the exhibition dedicated to Alessio Paternesi, maintaining that common thread and putting two great artists in dialogue” comments the Mayor of Sutri Matteo Amori. He is echoed by the Delegate for Culture for the Municipality of Sutrithe Claudia Mercuri: “Promoting cultural activities in Sutri has been one of the priorities of the Amori Administration since day one. Sutri is the city of art and artists, we are proud to have the opportunity today to exhibit the works of Maestro Codognotto and we are grateful to Baron Prof. Emmanuele Emanuele and Prof. Alessandra Taccone, President of the Terzo Pilastro Foundation – International, for making all this possible”.
“For me it was a joy and an honor to be able to contribute to the realization, thanks to the Terzo Pilastro Foundation, and in collaboration with the Municipality of Sutri, of this tribute – desired, conceived and created by my predecessor Emanuele, with the artistic sensitivity that has always distinguished him – to the wood sculptor Ferdinand Codognottowho is one of the most important exponents in the world cultural panorama in this discipline, as demonstrated by the fact that his works are present in public and private collections in Europe and abroad”, underlines Alessandra Taccone, President of the Fondazione Terzo Pilastro – Internazionale for whom “the art of Maestro Codognotto starts from the contemplation of nature, a legacy from his father who was a garden designer, which he combines with a strong aesthetic sense and with suggestions borrowed from the world of fairy tales, religion, philosophy and a fascination with technology, giving life to highly symbolic works with a fantastic inspiration and capable of arousing instinctive emotions”.
“It has always been my firm belief that art is timeless, because it, in all its expressions, is born from the uninterrupted flow of the artist’s inner sensitivity, of his culture and of the comparison with the era in which he livesin a natural and spontaneous way, and as a demonstration of this, many exhibitions I have created, such as “Ipotesi Metaverso” in 2023, are proof of this”, says Emmanuele FM Emanuele, Honorary Citizen of Sutri and former President of the Terzo Pilastro Foundation, which conceived and created this exhibition. “The first men who appeared on earth created art using the materials they had available: stone, sand, natural dyes, but above all wood, which was abundant in the forests of the context in which they lived. Ferdinando Codognotto, the wood sculptor, has always represented for me the continuity of that ancient time. Our friendly relationship began more than fifty years ago and when I met him, I immediately appreciated his ability to transform the trunks of the trees that lay on the land of the Roman districts into wonderful works of art. This emotional solidarity and my unconditional esteem for him and his work have pushed me to work for this exhibition, because for many years I have hoped that his art will be known, as he deserves, more than it is.
happened to date in our country. I therefore thank Mayor Amori and Councilor Mercuri, as well as Professor Taccone, President of the Terzo Pilastro – Internazionale Foundation, who have finally made this dream achievable”.