Giovanni Madonini (1915-1989)

Giovanni Madonini was born March 21, 1915 in Milan, Italy and died in 1989. He received his formal art education at the Academy Brera in Milan where he received his Bachelor of Arts Degree.

(The following is an excerpt from Moseda Edoardo Contemporary Paintings and painters of Italy ed. Alfa Carpa vol. #8.)

"Guided by his father, Antonio Madonini, Giovanni entered the Academy of Brera in Milan, at a very young age. He completed his studies in a short time with a Bachelor of Arts degree. His first personal show was put together at the age of 14 at Salesiani of Milano, where he took first place.

In speaking of his cultural settings Madonini follows, almost by vocation, traditional and pictorial forms. Points of modernism appear on most of his paintings, following that imitative feeling; an artistic touch of "Macchiaioli".

Charged with expression it gives the viewer incomparable vigor and a sense of competency of the visual phenomenon. This is achieved through the most natural and less researched. Sometimes richness of composition, violence of colors, and strength of subjects are well sustained through the miracle of those illusive images of reality; poetic in a sense of remaining in your mind and heart.

It does not make sense to give a particular media to the art of Madonini; impressionistic or any other, only because we would lose in the dialectical. Madonini has his very personal style, the transparency of his work, the boldness of his characters and the approach of portrayals of everyday life in his own way. It reminds us of our childhood and when things were simple, and times were happy or sad for that matter."

FEELINGS
By Walt Hamma (Reporter for the Herald News)

"The paintings by Prof. Madonini are warm and impressionable. I feel his landscapes are built on the classical recall. Madonini can be defined as a poet in human nature; his forms and expressions; his work is genuine. He tends to collect the last imprint of the great personalities; of the farms, of the woods, of the road that are today disappearing. His portrait of a drunkard is a drunkard; His fisherman is a fisherman; his gypsy is a gypsy.

This is the extraordinary force of Madonini. I feel this is his greatest achievement. You can not judge his work with ruler or scale, you need something more. You need something within yourself; the joy of living that can sing fantasies, poetry, romanticism or reality. That in your veins run abundant blood, warm and violent, then and only then, can the paintings of Madonini enter your heart and soul and never leave."

Madonini is greatly absorbed in the National and International markets such as: Canada, U.S.A., England, Switzerland, etc. He is rarely able to put together shows, which require a great deal of time, due to the tremendous demand of his work around the world. Throughout the years, shows have taken place in the following cities: Florence, Italy, at Galleria Masina Venice, Italy at Galleria San Marco Milan, Italy at Galleria Dagrada & Ars Italica Bergamo, Italy at Galleria La Simonetta & Locatelli Beverly Hills, Calif. at Galleria Venezia New York, N.Y. at Inter-Art Gallery Lyndhurst, N.J. at International Art Gallery London, England at Swiss Cottage

COMMISSIONS:
1934 Milan, Italy-"Church of Santa Augustino"-Altar section showing San Giovanni Bosco "afresco"
1936 Milan, Italy "Church of Santa Augustino"-Right-side of main altar showing the "Sacred Family"
1938 Italy-Red Cross Headquarters-large "afresco"

Listed:
"Contemporary Paintings & Painters of Italy", ed. Alfa Carpa, Rome, Italy, vol. 8 pages 105 & 106
Annual "Comanducci", ed. Patucci, Milano, Italy, 1974-page 116
Annual, "Comanducci", ed. Petucci, Milano, Italy, 1975-page 188 page 198
National Catalogue "Bolaffi", Torino, Italy, vol. 7-page 194
National Catalogue "Bolaffi", Torino, Italy, vol. 10-page 182 "Contemporary Paintings & Painters", ed. 11 Quadrato 1972-page 723

Magazines:
"Art Calendar" ed. Bela Bogart 1967, La Cienega, Calif., Catalogue #7 page 72
"The Art Market" ed. Otto Giorni, Milano, Italy, 1964, No. 7 front cover
"Galleria D'Arte" Simonette of Luciano Capoferri, Bergamo, Italy, May 19, 1971

Newspapers:
"L'Eco Di Bergamo" 11/9/73-11/22/74
"Herald News", Passaic, N.J., 9/10/69
"Los Angeles Times" 10/7/66

National & International Shows:
10/01/1971 Bergamo, Italy "Europa Unita" (Bi-annual contest organized by Galleria La Simmonette of Bergamo).
05/03/1975 "Scarpina D'Oro" Organized by the city of Vigevano
10/1971 "Diploma to the Merit" "Europa Unita"
04/1973 "Ambrogino D'Oro" city of Milano, Italy presented by the City Assessor, Sig. Luigi Valentini ACADEMY "Academy of Belle Arte Brera" Milano, Italy