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Renato
Costrini was born in Rome in 1950 where he still lives and works today.
He has a
degree in Biological Sciences and is Director of General Affairs in a leading
pharmaceutical company. He has always been fascinated by art and its multitude
forms of expression. In addition, he has always had a great interest in the
problems of history and philosophy. Ever since primary school, he has dedicated
a lot of his time to drawing and painting, to the observation of classic works
and their study in “real life”. During the
seventies and eighties he travelled widely in Europe. Since 1997, he
has
been involved in compiling a collection of his writings entitled “Stelle
con le radici” or
“Even stars have roots”. From 1982 he has shown
his works in various art exhibitions. Among those of note in Rome
were the
Clelio Darida
Plaque in 1982 and the Venus Plaque in 1985. In 1986 he took part in the
“Medicine and Art” exhibition in La Maddalena and in the Tifeo Prize for Art in
Ischia.
His most recent solo exhibitions (2001/2003) were held in
Borgo Trerose (Siena), Castelgandolfo,
Recanati, Orvieto, Anguillara Sabazia and in Rome in the Atelier of Canova.The
most important exhibitions were organised by the art
critic Mariano Apa.
For twenty years, Renato Costrini has been producing
figurative paintings in which nature is repeatedly shown in all her multiplicity
of forms. Even though he is constantly adapting his mode of expression he never
betrays the love that he feels for all that surrounds us. Man does not fight
against the solemnity of nature, he embraces it. By abandoning himself to nature
in this way, he gains an insight into the very earth that one day will welcome
him to her breast. Man does not resist; he serenely accepts the inevitability of
destiny. He savours moments of happiness and the beauty of everyday life to the
full, which is absolutely fundamental to his learning and understanding of how
to reap the fruits of the earth. There is no point in resisting or trying to
understand all the secrets that surround us. We are a part of nature,
and even if at times she shrouds herself in mystery we should comply with her
wishes. Only in this way can we truly appreciate the wonders of a sunset or a
bird’s song. Man is an integral part of nature and these delights are his by
right to enjoy if he so wishes.
1980 – 1985 The
houses symbolise the charm and tranquillity which emanates from within where the
simple, ordinary tasks of everyday life are being carried out with a firm belief
in the certainty of a tomorrow.
1986 - 1990
The colours
have become more vivid , nature is more alive than ever and there is a
continuous experimentation with new forms of expression. Looking at these
landscapes we can hear the sound of the wind as it ripples between the blades of
grass in the meadow and blends with the song of the crickets.
1991 - 1995
These paintings depict mountain
landscapes where silence encircles the valley and the farmhouses. The human soul
is revealed in its many and varied forms, hiding within its folds both lightness
of heart and suffering, yet never relinquishing hope in a tomorrow. This
elegance of form is also found in the animal kingdom. It is expressed in the
noble bearing of the horse and the profundity of a squirrel’s innocent gaze. The
harmony of the community and the continuation of tradition are what lie at the
heart of the poinsettia, the Christmas star, which through its roots, anchors
man in those things which are firm and well-established: the values of nature.
1996 – 2001
The brightness
of the colours and their intensity give us images which pulsate with life. The
fresh breeze of spring caresses a field of poppies and the waves of the sea. It
carries the scent of the bougainvillaea. The music of the strolling player fills
the silence which hangs over the fisherman intent on putting his net in order
and the horses waiting for the new day.
The watchtower is witness to the sun which rises and sets
uniting the woods and the sea, the fishes and the birds, the past and the future
of man,
which find comfort in his shadow. A moment of reflection on the sudden,
unpredictable changes in nature returns amidst the farmhouses which peep out
from amongst the trees. The ink drawings, through their symbolic essentialism,
resemble prints from a bygone age. |
04/11/2003 |