The associated artists of CAOS propose themselves for the design and creation of celebratory and commemorative monuments. The theme is the result of consultation with the client and an in-depth philological examination aimed at identifying the formal, symbolic, allegorical and content charactheristics of the work.
The predilection for figurative themes, which therefore give centrality to the human figure, does not preclude the possibility of abstract creations, in particular thanks to the collaboration with the architect-artist Michelangelo Eremita who developed this particular genre of formalism.
About the appropriateness of art in everyday life
In history, beauty is a relative aesthetic attribute or value, linked to human civilizations in their evolution. It is not an absolute value.
In art, beauty underlies the artist’s ability to build a coherent system of abstract meanings, concepts and values and also underlies the ability to transmit them intact and with extreme synthesis and effectiveness such as to directly reach those who are able to grasp them.
Art does not need to be explained, it does not need to be translated or interpreted; art can be read, understood, welcomed, loved; but in it, beauty is an absolute value.
Art does not transmit subjective values, it is not ethical; it refers to basic and fundamental, mysterious rules, linked to illusion, lies, dreams, perhaps to our ancestral fears.
For this reason, beautiful expressions of art contain messages that can be grasped at any time and everywhere, assuming traits of absoluteness or giving the illusion of it.
The questions we must ask ourselves and ask our children today are the following: “how much art knowledge is there in us?”; “how much of this knowledge is at the service of mankind?”
A real reflection is needed on the need to conquer a human society based on knowledge ad art; therefore an objectively beautiful society.
Attention towards art from early age must be cultivated in our children. We must take children to museums, to art galleries, we must demand that schools provide teachers od Art History and not just Drawing; we must expect these teachers to transmit a love for art.
Understanding art means knowing how to see and knowing how to see is a difficult goal to achieve; sometimes one life is not enough. We must therefore show the way to young people so that they can choose.
Hypotheses and projects for a renaissance of the arts
Today, not only Religious Institutions of Private Collectors but also and perhaps above all, Public Administrators, play an important function in developing people’s sensitivity towards art. They have the possibility of mending a huge fracture that has been created between the people and contemporary art since the 20th century.
Art must return close to people to lay the foundations for its rebirth. In the planning of master plans, residential areas and in the future redesign of the disheartening industrial areas, recently discouraged by natural disasters, we must return to placing man and humanity at the center and this also passes through careful research and selection of artists capable of carrying out artworks that make the community cohesive. Artworks around which the human community can rally, exactly as happened in our Renaissance with the contribution of the Church but also of enlightened and aware Dominants, such as Federico Da Montefeltro os Sigismondo Malatesta or Lorenzo Dei Medici.
Such work has strong political underpinnings; whoever wants to take in this pleasant and exciting responsibility will get the history. Whoever is able to enrich the community with what is created for it and not what is built for a claimed honor to the “art” itself will have created a thousand possibilities for his fellow citizens.
In these pages we wanted to present some sketches of great artworks for the sole purpose of giving an idea of the possibilities offered by the imagination of the artist Mario Eremita and the architect-artist Michelangelo Eremita.
Wild Horses
Here is the sketch for the “Wild Horses” sculpture. It is a bronze sculpture in which Murano glass elements are inserted. The horses are suspended in this bronze and glass frame which in turn represents the tree of life.
The horses trot on the branches of the tree of life which also seem to resemble the waves of the sea. It is an idea of very strong dynamism and great brightness that creates a positive, encouraging, stimulating, climate, favorable to sociality, conviviality and optimism, trust and an idea of progress accompained by development.
The artworks of authentic artists are always linked to the human community that appreciates them and makes part of the references of everyday life. When things are like this, the foundations have been laid for a comparison with history, with time and with the possibility of social and cultural development of a community.
The associated artists of CAOS propose themselves for the design and creation of celebratory and commemorative monuments. The theme is the result of consultation with the client and an in-depth philological examination aimed at identifying the formal, symbolic, allegorical and content charactheristics of the work.
The predilection for figurative themes, which therefore give centrality to the human figure, does not preclude the possibility of abstract creations, in particular thanks to the collaboration with the architect-artist Michelangelo Eremita who developed this particular genre of formalism.
About the appropriateness of art in everyday life
In history, beauty is a relative aesthetic attribute or value, linked to human civilizations in their evolution. It is not an absolute value.
In art, beauty underlies the artist’s ability to build a coherent system of abstract meanings, concepts and values and also underlies the ability to transmit them intact and with extreme synthesis and effectiveness such as to directly reach those who are able to grasp them.
Art does not need to be explained, it does not need to be translated or interpreted; art can be read, understood, welcomed, loved; but in it, beauty is an absolute value.
Art does not transmit subjective values, it is not ethical; it refers to basic and fundamental, mysterious rules, linked to illusion, lies, dreams, perhaps to our ancestral fears.
For this reason, beautiful expressions of art contain messages that can be grasped at any time and everywhere, assuming traits of absoluteness or giving the illusion of it.
The questions we must ask ourselves and ask our children today are the following: “how much art knowledge is there in us?”; “how much of this knowledge is at the service of mankind?”
A real reflection is needed on the need to conquer a human society based on knowledge ad art; therefore an objectively beautiful society.
Attention towards art from early age must be cultivated in our children. We must take children to museums, to art galleries, we must demand that schools provide teachers od Art History and not just Drawing; we must expect these teachers to transmit a love for art.
Understanding art means knowing how to see and knowing how to see is a difficult goal to achieve; sometimes one life is not enough. We must therefore show the way to young people so that they can choose.
Hypotheses and projects for a renaissance of the arts
Today, not only Religious Institutions of Private Collectors but also and perhaps above all, Public Administrators, play an important function in developing people’s sensitivity towards art. They have the possibility of mending a huge fracture that has been created between the people and contemporary art since the 20th century.
Art must return close to people to lay the foundations for its rebirth. In the planning of master plans, residential areas and in the future redesign of the disheartening industrial areas, recently discouraged by natural disasters, we must return to placing man and humanity at the center and this also passes through careful research and selection of artists capable of carrying out artworks that make the community cohesive. Artworks around which the human community can rally, exactly as happened in our Renaissance with the contribution of the Church but also of enlightened and aware Dominants, such as Federico Da Montefeltro os Sigismondo Malatesta or Lorenzo Dei Medici.
Such work has strong political underpinnings; whoever wants to take in this pleasant and exciting responsibility will get the history. Whoever is able to enrich the community with what is created for it and not what is built for a claimed honor to the “art” itself will have created a thousand possibilities for his fellow citizens.
In these pages we wanted to present some sketches of great artworks for the sole purpose of giving an idea of the possibilities offered by the imagination of the artist Mario Eremita and the architect-artist Michelangelo Eremita.
Miliana Papilion Hospiton
The bronze sculpture represents a female figure dressed in a chiton and peplos woven with coral who elegantly spreads her arms while on her right hand she raises the butterfly “Papilio Hospiton” to invite it to take flight, the butterfly in question is a symbol of Sardinia and is at risk of extinction.
The bronze sculpture will be modeled in clay and subsequently prepared for lost wax bronze casting; only one example will be made, after which the clay model will be destroyed.
After the appropriate finishing touches, the statue will be polished, preserving the light encrustations of the natural green of oxidation. The base not only has the function of support but also thet of representing, in the lower part, the laurel plant, a symbol of excellence, glory and victory. It shows the grooves and decorations of vague classical reference in the carriage.
It is an artwork that proposes the instances of symbolist figurative art. The female figure is called Miliana which, in flora terminology, means rural laurel or elder.
The human figure, standing above a laurel plant which symbolizes excellence, glory and victory, has its arms open as if to imitate the gliding flight of butterflies while on the tips of the fingers of the left hand it welcomes a Papilio Hospiton, a sardinian flying insect at risk of extinction, which gently invites you to take flight. The female figure wears a chiton and peplum woven with coral, references to the preciousness of the sardinian sea.
The associated artists of CAOS propose themselves for the design and creation of celebratory and commemorative monuments. The theme is the result of consultation with the client and an in-depth philological examination aimed at identifying the formal, symbolic, allegorical and content charactheristics of the work.
The predilection for figurative themes, which therefore give centrality to the human figure, does not preclude the possibility of abstract creations, in particular thanks to the collaboration with the architect-artist Michelangelo Eremita who developed this particular genre of formalism.
About the appropriateness of art in everyday life
In history, beauty is a relative aesthetic attribute or value, linked to human civilizations in their evolution. It is not an absolute value.
In art, beauty underlies the artist’s ability to build a coherent system of abstract meanings, concepts and values and also underlies the ability to transmit them intact and with extreme synthesis and effectiveness such as to directly reach those who are able to grasp them.
Art does not need to be explained, it does not need to be translated or interpreted; art can be read, understood, welcomed, loved; but in it, beauty is an absolute value.
Art does not transmit subjective values, it is not ethical; it refers to basic and fundamental, mysterious rules, linked to illusion, lies, dreams, perhaps to our ancestral fears.
For this reason, beautiful expressions of art contain messages that can be grasped at any time and everywhere, assuming traits of absoluteness or giving the illusion of it.
The questions we must ask ourselves and ask our children today are the following: “how much art knowledge is there in us?”; “how much of this knowledge is at the service of mankind?”
A real reflection is needed on the need to conquer a human society based on knowledge ad art; therefore an objectively beautiful society.
Attention towards art from early age must be cultivated in our children. We must take children to museums, to art galleries, we must demand that schools provide teachers od Art History and not just Drawing; we must expect these teachers to transmit a love for art.
Understanding art means knowing how to see and knowing how to see is a difficult goal to achieve; sometimes one life is not enough. We must therefore show the way to young people so that they can choose.
Hypotheses and projects for a renaissance of the arts
Today, not only Religious Institutions of Private Collectors but also and perhaps above all, Public Administrators, play an important function in developing people’s sensitivity towards art. They have the possibility of mending a huge fracture that has been created between the people and contemporary art since the 20th century.
Art must return close to people to lay the foundations for its rebirth. In the planning of master plans, residential areas and in the future redesign of the disheartening industrial areas, recently discouraged by natural disasters, we must return to placing man and humanity at the center and this also passes through careful research and selection of artists capable of carrying out artworks that make the community cohesive. Artworks around which the human community can rally, exactly as happened in our Renaissance with the contribution of the Church but also of enlightened and aware Dominants, such as Federico Da Montefeltro os Sigismondo Malatesta or Lorenzo Dei Medici.
Such work has strong political underpinnings; whoever wants to take in this pleasant and exciting responsibility will get the history. Whoever is able to enrich the community with what is created for it and not what is built for a claimed honor to the “art” itself will have created a thousand possibilities for his fellow citizens.
In these pages we wanted to present some sketches of great artworks for the sole purpose of giving an idea of the possibilities offered by the imagination of the artist Mario Eremita and the architect-artist Michelangelo Eremita.
Tanit and the Eagle
The bronze sculpture represents a female figure ( Tanit Cathaginian goddess of fertility ) with some references to traditional sardinian clothing who emerges from an intricate coral scaffolding.
The bronze sculpture is modeled in clay and subsequently prepared for lost wax casting; only on example will be made, after which the clay model will be destroyed. After the appropriate finishing touches, the statue will be polished, preserving the light encrustations of the natural green of oxidation.
The base integrates with the artwork, providing it with a strongly projecting and elongated dynamic support. This vertical element, not orthogonal to the ground, follows a sinuous trajectory and evokes the connection between the natural movements of the sea and the sky; at its apex there is a capital of vague ionic resemblance.
It is an artwork that proposes the instances of symbolist figurative art. The human body, always observed from bottom to top, follows a spiral shape which, from the roots of the corals, unfolds up to the right arm, stretched upwards, on which the sardinian golden eagle rests, about to take flight.
The main theme is fertility, which has its origins in the sea, becomes coral, a precious support for the earthly and human symbol of fertility and is therefore embodied in that same symbol in the female figure which is, in turn, the fulcrum of the yearning for the flight of the noble bird of the island. The base has the task of elevating the whole of the symbolic figure in order to load it with dramatic tension, spiritual valure and subtle surrealistic connotation.
The associated artists of CAOS propose themselves for the design and creation of celebratory and commemorative monuments. The theme is the result of consultation with the client and an in-depth philological examination aimed at identifying the formal, symbolic, allegorical and content charactheristics of the work.
The predilection for figurative themes, which therefore give centrality to the human figure, does not preclude the possibility of abstract creations, in particular thanks to the collaboration with the architect-artist Michelangelo Eremita who developed this particular genre of formalism.
About the appropriateness of art in everyday life
In history, beauty is a relative aesthetic attribute or value, linked to human civilizations in their evolution. It is not an absolute value.
In art, beauty underlies the artist’s ability to build a coherent system of abstract meanings, concepts and values and also underlies the ability to transmit them intact and with extreme synthesis and effectiveness such as to directly reach those who are able to grasp them.
Art does not need to be explained, it does not need to be translated or interpreted; art can be read, understood, welcomed, loved; but in it, beauty is an absolute value.
Art does not transmit subjective values, it is not ethical; it refers to basic and fundamental, mysterious rules, linked to illusion, lies, dreams, perhaps to our ancestral fears.
For this reason, beautiful expressions of art contain messages that can be grasped at any time and everywhere, assuming traits of absoluteness or giving the illusion of it.
The questions we must ask ourselves and ask our children today are the following: “how much art knowledge is there in us?”; “how much of this knowledge is at the service of mankind?”
A real reflection is needed on the need to conquer a human society based on knowledge ad art; therefore an objectively beautiful society.
Attention towards art from early age must be cultivated in our children. We must take children to museums, to art galleries, we must demand that schools provide teachers od Art History and not just Drawing; we must expect these teachers to transmit a love for art.
Understanding art means knowing how to see and knowing how to see is a difficult goal to achieve; sometimes one life is not enough. We must therefore show the way to young people so that they can choose.
Hypotheses and projects for a renaissance of the arts
Today, not only Religious Institutions of Private Collectors but also and perhaps above all, Public Administrators, play an important function in developing people’s sensitivity towards art. They have the possibility of mending a huge fracture that has been created between the people and contemporary art since the 20th century.
Art must return close to people to lay the foundations for its rebirth. In the planning of master plans, residential areas and in the future redesign of the disheartening industrial areas, recently discouraged by natural disasters, we must return to placing man and humanity at the center and this also passes through careful research and selection of artists capable of carrying out artworks that make the community cohesive. Artworks around which the human community can rally, exactly as happened in our Renaissance with the contribution of the Church but also of enlightened and aware Dominants, such as Federico Da Montefeltro os Sigismondo Malatesta or Lorenzo Dei Medici.
Such work has strong political underpinnings; whoever wants to take in this pleasant and exciting responsibility will get the history. Whoever is able to enrich the community with what is created for it and not what is built for a claimed honor to the “art” itself will have created a thousand possibilities for his fellow citizens.
In these pages we wanted to present some sketches of great artworks for the sole purpose of giving an idea of the possibilities offered by the imagination of the artist Mario Eremita and the architect-artist Michelangelo Eremita.
The Glorious Path
The concept involves a bas-relief work set in a marble and glass mosaic background.
This large bas-relief is dedicated to the memory of Marshal Felice Maritano but is not intended to be a funerary or merely commemorative monument. It is an artwork of solid figurative and symbolic content which, however, intends to address the difficulty of rhetorical articulation, with particular delicacy, originality and discretion, leaving ample space for subtle references to Greek and Byzantine art.
The artist’s primary need is to communicate to the hero’s family, in particular his children; to give them first the firm recognition of the value of the person well before that of the soldier and the officer of the Army. Because they are born heroes, they art born with that particular empathy that makes certain people so special. Ideally communicating to the Marshal’s children, the artist opens a dialogue with the young non-commissioned officer students of the School, who will have before them an artwork where muscular rhetoric is left out, compared to the primacy of reason and clear will, which arises from the mind and not by physical strength.
Here is therefore the figurative and not conceptual or formally abstract need. Each subject here has its own existence, its own vital tension, they are not simple physical presences but beings who live their personal experience in the world and who are here for a reason that unites them in different ways, each symbolic and evocative. For example, the same horses have different poses that identify their individual emotionality. The axial symmetry is followed to give the meaning of order and solemnity, although it is lacking in proximity to the altar, where, to the right and the left of the Winged Victory, Turreted Italy and the “Symbolic Soldier”, personified by the mythological figure of Hector, appear.
Continuing the reading of the artwork, at the two ends we find imposing trees: an oak and an olive tree, which immediately introduce the naturalistic and vital idea of the context and represent the solidity and resilience of a society based on law, as well as evoking power of family values. The oak has numerous sumbols in various cultures and history. It is considered the tree of life, of wisdom, of strength, of the ability to overcome difficult moments. Its powerful foliage and powerful roots hope for the unity of the hearth and fertility, also understood as the abstract meaning of fertility of ideas and values. The oak in heraldry is the most noble tree and embodies the most positive values; among the many here stands out that of the indomitable and courageous spirit. The olive tree also symbolizes positive values: peace, victory, fame and immortal glory. Both plants are represented at the ends to include the whole scene and give it a sense of spiritual and material gathering within these shared values.
At the foot of the trees there are two large wolf dogs, crouched but with their ears pricked and their watchful gaze turned towards the altar. They are the symbol of loyalty but also of attention and affection towards hierarchy and authority; furthermore, they personify the inductive reasoning typical of intuition originating from instinct. This is a fundamental quality for the capable man of arms, for the talented investigator who dissolves the plots of evil.
After the wolfdog, four groups of three human figures follow on each side. The groups of three have the function of evoking the three forces of the human soul: intelligence, will, memory. The four groups symbolize all of creation: earth, water, air, fire. The first group of three consists of mounted Carabinieri in Ceremonial Uniform with Lucerne. The interesting thing here, as already mentioned, is the pose of the steeds, each with its own particular emotionality: there is the one that wants to retreat, the one that advances, the one that bites the reins, the one that quivers excitedly. These animals represent the porgress of man in its double meaning, positive and negative. The first as technological and scientific advancement, the second as the overwhelming impetus of the war of conquest; this is why they must be restrained, controlled and wisely guided by the authority and order of law and executive power:
Carabinieri in Ceremonial Uniform with Lucerne and Saber follow; their pose is on guard, compliant with military protocol; they do not greet the Officer as they are not in front of him but alongside him and therefore are in the exact position of surveillance. They are hieratic fogures like Winged Victory; this is because they embody an institution that must be fair, neutral, incorruptible and faithful to the fundamental principles that are enshrined in the moral legislation, which always introduces every Regulation of the Force. From the Carabinieri onwards, an elevated structure was built which has a dual function:
technically, it allows the development of the scene to be kept on the same visual level as the knights and therefore to give the necessary relevance to what is represented;
formally marks a passage, a transition from earthly values to spiritual values, the three carabinieri guard this transition.
The whole artwork is constructed as a double climax which, from the two ends, proceeds towards the centre; a climax of emotions and symbolic references.
Let’s proceed.
The carabinieri on guard are at the end of the most central part of the artwork because this contains the most significant and particular evocative and ritual references. If trees, dogs, horses and riders exhibited broader and more universal meanings; after the carabinieri on guard you enter a more spiritual world. Here are the three female figures playing the tuba and the three children beating the drums. They are adolescents and children in non-modern clothes but referring to a timeless, mystical or mythological reality. The former recall the Nikai, who meet the heroes of battles or the heroes of races, providing them with the best wishes.
Here the contact with contemporaneity fades but, i would say better, with everyday life. We enter the world of myths, populated by entities that are almost abstract or whose distant memory has left us only the aura of myth; we approach the altar of Maritano. The artist intended to recall music in this sector of the artwork, since it is his second great muse; but also because here is the fundamental role of harmony and rhythm, in marking many aspects of human action. The battle, as well as the race, as well as the growth of a boy, are established with a particular tempo, a particular tuning. The women of the antiquity discovered that, when the drum was beaten, the little plant grew better and faster; grasping a mysterious vital force, they began to use this instrument to accompany the passage to the afterlife or to recall souls from the world of the dead in long shamanic sessions. Entire civilizations used rhythmic sounds and powerful, rigorous harmonies to create fear in the adversary, to multiply the charisma of leaders and armies, to keep high the morale of the troops.
So here are the three boys with the drums. From the good wishes, raised with the metallic hymn of the Nikai tuba to the supernatural suction of the rhythmic ecstasy with which the deserving deceased is granted, again and forever, a breath of vital force, in order to never sever the bond of life; indeed, to recall its spirit and transmit it, through empathy, to those who are exposed to the rhythmic beats and translated into an ideal silent harmony, the users of the artwork for example. Girls and boys made musicians; so that hymns and rhythms come from the innocence and candor of those who are still strangers to human afflictions. Therefore, as already stated, no funereal references but, if anything, multiple vital and spiritual references, with the most spontaneous affection for what is clear and universal about the spirit.
Once past the musicians, we enter the heart of a representation that becomes completely otherworldly and fully symbolic. At the center of it is the altar dedicated to Marshal Felice Maritano. It is a place where every force and every value evoked by the artwork converges; it is the fulcrum and point of balance of everything; all around it is natural that the results of these contents can manifest themselves, just as, in the act of sacrifice, the supreme spirituality of moral and compassionate strength was manifested; conducted throughout an entire lifetime of righteousness. It therefore happens that the atmosphere above the altar lights up with golden light; shortly before two solemn, purely symbolic figures materialize nearby. To the left the observer appears the personification of Italia Turrita who carries, in her right hand, the palm branch symbolizing Christian values and martyrdom; to the right of the observer the “Symbolic Soldier” appears in timeless and mythical guise, personified by Hector of Troy; the one who, to prevent the enemy from gaining the upper hand, faces it by shielding his people. These two presences approach the altar discreetly, maintaining a slight distance of respect and extend their hand towards the third who, after them and thanks to them, is revealed: the Winged Victory emerges from the altar with long and light and graceful robes wings; but strong and delineated. She is in a hieratic and silent pose, indifferent to wealth, power or references, she is the Victory of the Righteous, not the victory of the oppressor. She offers her hands to the two guests as a sign of sharing but also in order to give them both yet another light. Here is the last and most compelling trinity: the sense of the Fatherland, the sense of Justice, the sense of Sacrifice. Precious meanings, completely abstract and, therefore, delicate and fragile, if not preserved and handed down with conviction and love; not imposed or inculcated with bombastic rhetoric but offered to understanding with patience, respect and empathy, in a world of continuous and controversial change, with the certainty that they are immortal and universal values, with the awareness that they will always be attacked and vilified; but that only the integrity and humanity of their promulgators and their defenders will be able to pass on, improving them.
This artwork is therefore a path towards abstraction which, from the most concrete and earthly values ( trees, dogs, horses ) leads to the highest and most ideal values ( fatherland, justice, sacrifice ), a path which, from the strength of physicality leads to the strength of the mind and of spirituality; a path which, in the delicate and discreet plastic representation, if it remains devoid of the contribution of ordinary people highlights all its fragility and impermanence. Ideas and values always travel on the legs of people.
The chromaticity of the artwork is minimal to enhance its rigor and give the dramatic tone, balancing the sweetness of the figures. The mosaic background is in shades of grey/green and grey/blue marble to shade; while the part above the altar is in glass mosaic with 24kt gold in order to give sacredness and brightness to the fulcrum of the entire artwork. The bas-relief sculptures are essentially monochromatic.
the Venezia’s Coltrina, painting on canvas, prize of the Venezia’s Historic Regatta.
Artwork made by Mario Eremita for the Venezia’s Historical Regatta editions 2016/2020.
Genesis of the artwork
During the 2016 spring the delegate for traditions Giovanni Giusto addresses the curator of the III Millennium Art Gallery in Venezia Mr. Nicola Eremita expressing the desire to create a prize for the racers of the Hstorical Regatta. He thinks of a small banner, a handkerchief, to be given to the first place in the men’s regatta.
From that primitive idea, the curator imagines giving shape to a new venetian tradition that could be born that september 2016 and therefore continue over time. The inspiration comes from the historic Palio di Siena. Nicola Eremita therefore suggests the name of “La Coltrina di Venezia” for the artwork performed by the master Mario Eremita. It is something very different from what Giusto outlined, right something that can enrich venetian traditions by giving them a lively and contemporary edge.
The delegate Giusto informally shares the idea and the master Mario Eremita executes the artwork, therefore deciding to donate it to the Municipality of Venezia on the condition tyhat, after the exhibition on the Machina, it is permanently exhibited in an institutional loccation of public access.
In addition to the name “La Coltrina di Venezia”, Nicola Eremita also indicates a series of complementary initiatives necessary to grant continuity to the new tradition. He proposes to establish a committee for the selection of new editions of “La Coltrina di Venezia” in order to involve the artists. He therefore proposes to create over time a public space in which to permanently exhibit the artworks that would have multiplied over time and then to carry them in procession on the occasion of the Festa della Sensa, Redentore, Regata Storica, Festa di Santa Maria della Salute.
Unfortunately, all these ideas were left to fall on deaf ears, only one edition of the Coltrina was created ( that of the master Mario Eremita ) and not even the artist’s request was complied with. The Venezia’s Coltrina has remained in the office of delegate Giusto since 2016, inaccessible to the public and therefore obscured and without the recognition it deserves.
Characteristics
Piece of painted fabric dimensions 139.50 x 228.50 cm. It is made of viscose fabric with six fringes measuring 15.00 ( width ) x 10.50 ( height ) cm and six support slots in the upper part measuring 15.00 ( width ) x 6.50 ( height ) cm. The artwork is surrounded around the entire perimeter by a multicolored fabric cord with a diameter of 1 cm.
Description
The painting intends to explore the cultural traditions and symbolism of the Serenissima Republic of Venezia, the history of this territory and the cause of the existence of the lagoon city and its unparalleled contribution to the social, political and economic development of the human community. Comparable only to the civilizations of ancient Greece or China. Replaced, at the end of the eighteenth century, by the Anglo-Saxon civilization which today is the only legitimate heir of venetian splendor. In fact, the cultural connection that still keeps Venezia and New York symbolically linked today is not surprising.
The Coltrina by master Mario Eremita is characterized by a marked frontal symmetry and the hieratic pose of Venezia in homage to the bizantine ancestors. From above we can appreciate the date 1489, the year in which Queen Cornaro of Cyprus abdicated and returned to Venezia receiving a triumphal welcome on board the Bucintoro, she paraded along the Grand Canal and obtained the rank of Lady of Asolo, also retaining her title of Regina. June 6, 1489 was a memorable day and the artist wanted to dedicate this Coltrina to it.
The whole represents the Throne on which Venezia sits; it is made of the white istrian stone with which much of Venezia is built. Here then is the Winged Lion who occupies the upper part of the Throne. It is represented here not in anthropomorphic features but in the real morphological constitution of an african lion, symbol of Marco the Evangelist. Note the dry belly, the slender legs suitable for running, the ample mane. The Lion is albino in homage to the istrian stone which was the privileged material for the manufacturing of this important symbol, and also to outline the particularity and rarity of its progeny which stands out. Both of the Lion’s front paws rest on the book which contains the famous latin phrase: “pax tibi Marce Evangelista meus.” Peace be with you Marco, my Evangelist. This pose intends to represent the entirety of the venetian territory, both land and sea, and strengthen the primary intent of the Serenissima Republic which wanted diplomacy and exchange to prevail over the use of force.
The Lion stands out against the starry blue background, a tribute to the representation located on the Clock Tower. Ahead and under the Lion here is Venezia sitting regally. She wears the crown that makes her Queen of the Adriatic; wears cloaks that recall the colors of the dawn and sunset characteristic of the Lagoon; hence the red color of the flag with its typical decorations. Venezia’s pose is hieratic and decisive, set to signify its own greatness, power and regal grace; she opens her arms, exposing her jewel to the world: access to the city from the Piazzetta of Columns of San Marco and San Todaro, the Palazzo Ducale, the Marciana Library and the Basilica. In her right hand she holds the scepter with olive branches, symbol of power in peace and, in her left, the ouroboros which symbolizes the circularity of time. The blue-green womb is the color that symbolizes the water of the lagoon and on the dress of Venezia, further down, float the boats of the Historical Regatta, the Bissone, the Serenissima, the Gondolini, the Mascarete, the Pupparini, the Caorline. Further down the nizioleto with the words “Venezia Regata Storica” and the signature of the artist Mario Eremita. The frame of ivy leaves to symbolize loyalty and love and the frame of olive branches for peace frame the composition.
Analysis of the artwork
The painting has a primary symbolic intent and in particular, it interprets the quiet and confident power of the Serenissima, recalling the glory of its original maximum splendor from the 13th century onwards.
In this sense the artist wanted to refer to byzantine and renaissance painting. Byzantine in the hieratic poses in the statuary composure in the symmetries and in the expositive sequence; renaissance in the treatment of colour, in the perspective breakthrough ( the Piazzetta of San Marco ) and in the use of different levels; here there are seven: the midnight blue background, the throne, the lion, Venezia, the robes, San Marco, the boats; almost overlapping, almost level but distinctly well separated and independent although tenaciously harmonized by the sublime use of colour, nuance and half-tones.
The sensation the spectator experiences is one of power; the desire to belong to this happy symbolism conquers and involves. Particularly, the dynamism of the lion’s wings together with the fluffy mane, give the impression that the feline is in flight. The Venezia’s hairstyle then becomes a flag, unfolding downwards like a hidden river that flows into the open lagoon; hidden by the venetian dawns and sunsets intepreted by the voluminous draped sleeves.
The face is linear, fine and delicate but firm and decisive, it observes us with pride and Olympic calm. From the blue-green womb the pale and dreamlike architecture emerges while below, the colored boats move towards the Grand Canal to carry out the Regatta, floating on the dress that runs into water.
The midnight blue background just frames the top corners, highlighting the contrast between dark and light, the latter embodied by the entire venetian spirit. The artwork is unmistakably by the artist Mario Eremita whose stylistic features are original and typical: the shapes of the limbs, the ombre, the light painting, the volumes and the very delicate symbolic references present not only in the shapes but also in the colour. The way the artwork is read is from top to bottom.
artistic embellishments mural painting at Alacqua’s House Venice Mestre “Concordia et Abundantia”
Mural painting made directly on wall with special paints and 24 kt gold leaf. The overall dimensions are approximately 4 by 2.5 meters. The subjects are figurative and dedicated to music, symbol of harmony and to the horn of plenty, symbol of abundance.
The artwork was treated with shades of pink and gray to emulate the hard rhodochrosite stone, according to the wishes of the client, Mr. Alacqua.
The human figure, in the forms of cherubs and girls, is Mario Eremita’s favorite subject. Humanity integrally runs through the entire imagination of this artist: from grace to the apocalypse.
Even in commissioned artworks, which must necessarily be carried out in accordance with precise needs, the talented artist is able to express his own personal style without distorting himself, but rather by broadening the codification.
artistic embellishments, mural painting at Campello’s House, Venice “Tango”
It is a mural painting made in the house of Mrs. Francesca Campello in Venice. She is passionate about dance and in particular tango, Mrs. Campello always wanted to have with her a dedication to the profond Argentine, Rioplatense, Uruguayan and French tradition.
The composition represents three artists, two dancers intent on the tango choreography and a woman sitting next to her while she plays the bandoneon, a characteristic instrument of the milonguero tradition. The draping of the black shawl is particular and intense, which in the past was the most common accessory of venetian women.
The warm and lively shades highlight the moment of intense passion and creative tension while the starry sky recalls the desire for freedom and to fly high.
The mural was painted in a venetian residence a few steps from Piazza San Marco, in the heart of the historic city in a context of high, elegant, refined and sober tenor. With its chromatic power, the “tango” mural stands out even if the shades match those of the premises.
Trophy dedicated to the cycling and specialized press made by Mario Eremita
The famous enterprise Campagnolo srl and the International Association of Cycling Journalists every year commission an artist to create a trophy to synthetically represent the values of cycling and of the sport specialized press. On 1985 the Association chose the artist Mario Eremita. He made the “Cycling and free Press Nike”.
The “cycling and free press Nike” was awarded to Bernard Hinault on november 14 1985. He is to date the greatest champion on the history of french cycling.
Artwork presentation
The sculpture was made with pine wood iron and silver. It represents the Nike’s winged head, wings are in the manner of Mercury, they protrude from the sides of the skull and are made with Campagnolo hubs and silver wire, the bust and shoulders of the figure are idealized like newspaper sheets and made with hand-beaten silver plate. The whole is of the highest level of refinement and stylistic value well beyond the classic rhetoric of the trophy but firmly positioned in the field of the most authentic artistic sculpture.
The classic forty italian playing cards interpreted by Mario Eremita
The forty italian playing cards, have inspired great artists because they are rich of mystery and history and they are rooted in the tradition of civilizations. They were imported from the East and their first intepreter was Andrea Mantegna. That first edition was published by venetian typographies.
Mario Eremita interpreted in four versions the playing card suits, fascinated by those which are on all the gaming tables. These are four collections of forty original drawings, three in india ink and one in color. All four works are unpublished.
He therefore imagined ancestral characters, dreams frequenters, suits bearers that are transformed into spectacular artworks.
Collection 1974a india ink
It is the first collection of the forty playing cards interpreted by Mario Eremita. It is from 1974 and is made by india ink on paper. You can appreciate the refine stroke and the powerful imagination that reworked the suits looking at these two samples taken from the collection, the seven of coins and the and the horse of clubs.
Collection 1978b mixed technique
It is the second collection of the forty plyaing cards interpreted by Mario Eremita. It is from 1978 and is made by mixed techinque on paper oil colors. Here there are two samples from the collection, the three of swords and the seven of cups. You can appreciate the delicate use of colors with the nuances the graphic drapery and the brand new imagination that revisited the classic iconography.
Collection 1984c india ink
Here is the third collection of the forty playing cards interpreted by Mario Eremita. It is from 1984 and is made by india ink on paper. Here two samples by the collection, the king of coins and the jack of cups. These two give the idea of the style, already different from the previous one of 1974 due to the stroke speed. The classical inconography is completely abandoned.
Collection 2000d india ink
The fourth collection of the forty italian playing cards intepreted by Mario Eremita closes the series. It is from 2000 and it is made by india ink on paper. Here two samples from the collection, the king of cups and the ace of cups. These two gives the idea of the style really different from the 1984 one. Here there is a more refined formal need and the addition of the frame. The classic iconography is partially recovered.
The Major Arcana of the Tarot intepreted by Mario Eremita.
The Major Arcana of the Tarot, have engaged great artists because they are rich in mystery and history and are rooted in the tradition of civilizations. They were imported from the East and their first intepreter was Andra Mantegna. That first edition was published by venetian typographies.
The mysterious sequence of numbers and symbols, which enchants with its load of irrationality and which clashes with our society of programming, of calculation, of the strict rationality of the rejection of the otherworld, of superstition, of the supernatural, becomes the ideal territory for the artist always looking to innovative and reshape what is under the sun.
Mario Eremita has interpreted the Tarot in various editions which, although dedicated to cultural traditions, are completely original in terms of style, stroke and also for some formal solutions. The editions are in oil color or india ink.
