Alberto Savinio
Alberto Savinio
Throughout his life, Savinio composed five
Life
Birth and family
Born in
Early life and education
Andrea was primarily
In addition to his homeschooling, Andrea also enjoyed a strong musical education. At the age of twelve, he graduated from the
By 1911, when Andrea was twenty, his music had become popular enough to be performed in public in Munich. The same year, Andrea set out on his own, moving to Paris, France an epicenter of activity for the European
In 1914, largely in an effort to differentiate himself from his increasingly famous artist-brother, Giorgio de Chirico, Andrea adopted the
World War I
Shortly after the outbreak of World War I, Savinio and his brother returned to Italy in order to enlist in the
Middle life
Savinio was among the contributors of the Rome-based literary magazine La Ronda between 1919 and 1922.[5] In 1920, he completed Tragedia dell'infanzia (Tragedy of Childhood), a primarily autobiographical collection of episodes illuminating the disconnect between the adult and juvenile experience and perception of the world. Each of the episodes in Tragedia del l'infanzia presents a situation in which the world of adults and "artistic" creativity is contrasted with the world of childhood imaginings. Tragedia del l'infanzia was finally published in 1937.[1]
In 1924, the
This year also brought the beginning of collaboration with his brother in Pirandello's Teatro d'Arte in Rome, Italy. The theater had always been a favorite medium for Savinio as it was in many ways a crossroads of the visual, musical and linguistic creativities.[1] Savinio immersed himself in every aspect of the theater, from scripting, to set design.[6] While working at the Teatro d'Arte he wrote Capitan Ulisse, a three-act drama considered fundamental to his body of work. The play was advertised in 1926, but not actually performed due to problems in the theater company. The play was eventually published in 1934, and staged at the Anton Giulio Bragaglia Theater in Rome in 1938. Also while working at the Teatro d'Arte, Savinio met Maria Morino, and proceeded to marry her the following year.[1]
In 1926, Savinio returned to Paris, and began to paint seriously.
In 1928, Savinio's daughter, Angelica, was born in Paris; his son, Ruggero, was then born in 1934. Both of his children were named for characters from Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso (1516). During this period of his life, he was primarily occupied with literary, musical and artistic criticism.[1]
Later life and death
Infanzia di Nivasio Dolcemare (The Childhood of Nivasio Dolcemare) was published in 1941. This was and is considered one of Savinio's finest novels, containing a witty but intensely narrative-driven style, an autobiographical fantasy about his childhood in Athens (Nivasio is an anagram for Savinio). 1950 saw the publication of two more operas by Savinio, Orfeo vedova and Agenzia Fix. Savinio completed his fifth and final opera, conceived for the radio, Cristoforo Colombo, shortly before his death on 5 May 1952 in Rome, Italy.[1][2][4][6]
Self determination
The penname "Alberto Savinio" was an Italianization of
as an Italian born outside of Italy, Nivasio Dolcemare considers himself privileged. This "indirect" birth is an ironic situation, as stylistic solution, a condition that has added certain nuances, certain subtleties, certain half and quarter-tone passages to the national faculties of the man Dolcemare which "direct" birth would not have permitted … . Italian more Italian than the Italian since the "Italian" in him is not a "place of birth", but a condition discovered, wanted, conquered.[1]
Brotherly connection
Early in their lives, Andrea and his brother Giorgio were nearly inseparable, even referring to themselves as Castor and Pollux, the warrior twins. As children, there was tremendous collaboration between the brothers that led to strong overlap of themes later in life. The most well noted of these overlapping themes was that of the mythical Greek Argonauts, as a metaphor for their development and journey as artists.[1][7]
There is evidence to suggest, however, that their relationship frayed in later life. Although their deceased sister Adele appears in and is mentioned frequently in Savinio's memoirs and autobiographies, Giorgio fails to appear at all in any of them.[1]
Critical review
Judgments of Savinio's work varied wildly depending on the phase of his life and the reviewer. Many of Savinio's most critically praised works are also amongst his most disliked and misunderstood. This is largely due to Savinio's frequent and controversial use of modernist techniques for creative expression.[1][6]
From a very young age, Savinio's piano playing impressed critics nearly unanimously. Guillaume Apollinaire said of it:
I was surprised and beguiled; Savinio mistreated his instrument so much that after each piece the keyboard had to be cleared of chips and splinters. I foresee that within two years he will have gutted every piano in Paris. Savinio will then go on to destroy every piano in the universe, which may be a true liberation.[6]
Judgment of his body of work as a whole was seen in 1954, when the Venice Biennale created a room devoted solely to Savinio's artistic legacy.[7]
According to the art historian Jean Clair, the works of Savinio and his brother Giorgio de Chirico were the basis of both the surrealist movement and magic realism.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Capozzi, Rocco, and Luca Somigli. "Alberto Savinio". Dictionary of Literary Biography. p. 264. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2002. Print.
- ^ a b Opera Composers:S Opera.Stanford.edu. Stanford University, Web. 15 October 2009.
- ^ ISBN 9780271047355.
- ^ a b c Michelangelo. Giornale Nuovo: Alberto Savinio. spamula.net Web. 12 October 2009.
- ^ Simone Germini (31 May 2013). "Riviste letterarie del Novecento – La Ronda". iMalpensanti (in Italian). Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Andrea de Chirico or Alberto Savinio Surrealist.com, Web. 15 October 2009
- ^ a b Fraquelli, Simonetta. "Düsseldorf and Munich De Chirico and Savinio". The Burlington Magazine, February 2002: 117–119. Print.