To arrive in the heart of contemporary art in Cagli requires a journey off the beaten path.   Instead of heading right to the exhibit at the Torrione, an ancient fortress that has been converted to a museum, walk down the narrow side streets off Piazza Matteotti and pull on one of the large metal door knockers.

Past the warm light from a skylight above, a flight of glowing stairs awaits you.   A small dog barks. And then the dimly lit studio reveals dozens of delicate pencil drawings and darkly colored books spread all over the large wooden drawing table in the middle of Ettore Sordini's workroom.

To reach Bruno Marcucci's apartment, squint to make out the door at the top of the stairs. A thick blue line painted along the bottom of the wall leads to the staircase, and a curtain of bright light and bold colors falls: red, blue and green jump off the walls.

Sordini and Marcucci are two of the many faces of the contemporary art movement in Cagli, but their art styles and techniques differ greatly.   As members of the Associazione Contemporaneo, or Contemporary Association, both men share a love of contemporary life, culture, and especially art.

"A painter is attached to and needs his art in the way that a shipwrecked man needs his raft," Sordini says.

As the ash at the tip of the Camel cigarette begins to grow, he continues, "A painter is also attached to his tools in a superstitious way because the canvas, the paint, the tools --- they hold the meaning of everything."

He takes a long, final drag, trashes the remnant and grins. "But art --- it takes a hell of a lot of work."

Sordini has spent the bulk of his life with a paintbrush tucked inside his pocket. As the son of a well-known trumpet player in Toscanini's orchestra, he experienced the arts from childhood.

In 1956, as a 23-year-old man, he, along with contemporary artists Camillo Corvi Mora, Giuseppe Zecca and Piero Manzoni, wrote "Manifesto per la Scoperta di una Zona di Immagini," or "Manifesto for Discovering the Image Area," declaring that art is the result of unconscious impulses that are common to every man.

In 1957 he joined Manzoni in the "Nucleare" movement. The group is composed of artists who refuse every dogma in the art world and discuss how to incorporate creativity and invention with the fundamental elements of a piece, such as color, shape, line, texture and composition.   The artists also place emphasis on depicting things below the surface; things the naked human eye cannot see.   In combining the ideals of Surrealism and Dadaism, the Nucleare artists hope to blur the line between the real and the surreal.

His images range from delicate drawings to bold stripes and blocks of color to studies in geometric shapes. He uses a variety of media , including paint, pen, paper and canvas to create such pieces.

His style is the result of years in classic training at art schools, personal experimentation and working with other famous artists, such as Enrico Baj and Lucio Fontana.   Baj is most widely known for his work with the Surrealists and New Realists in the 1950s and 60s, and is credited with being one of the founders of the Nucleare style. Fontana is known for his unconventional practice of slashing, poking holes, and causing all-around perforation to his canvases.

When asked about his own artistic philosophy, Sordini abandons the spoken word for the written word. He pulls out his copy of   Tempo Perso , or " Wasted Time ."

In the piece, Sordini's main point is that behind the creative aspects of artistic expression, there lies a great amount of labor and necessary funding. He uses the example of the creation of a single stretched canvas that is ready for laying on pencil, pen or paint. He writes that, for its production, wood for the frame needs to be chopped down and taken to the mill, where it is processed and cut to size. A large sheet of canvas must then be cut and stretched across the frame and stapled into place. According to Tempo Perso , this level of labor is behind every aspect of the arts, from the production of paper to the creation of different types of paints.

Sordini adds that an artist needs money to buy the tools needed for creating art. "Every man has an innate artistic ability, but not all have the means to act on that ability," he said.

Sordini's view of art greatly differs from that of fellow contemporary artist Bruno Marcucci.   Sordini sees creating art as a great privilege, while Marcucci believes that art springs from experiencing the present moment.

"More than most times, situations grab you and you can't avoid expressing yourself in that situation," Marcucci explained. "You become involved even if you don't want to."

Marcucci is one of the founders of the Associazione Contemporaneo and Sordini is a member of the society. Despite Marcucci's differing view from Sordini about the philosophy behind creating art, both men believe in the power of the contemporary.

Marcucci also sees Sordini as one of his teachers in art. "Sordini has a way with approaching his art subjects that I appreciate," he said.

Like Sordini, Marcucci has been educated in the forms of artistic expression, having studied in Dusseldorf and Paris. Now, as a professor of disegno dal vero , or drawing from life, and visual training at the Scuola del Libro in Urbino, he encourages his students to create a balance between the technical and the expressive.

"When my students leave my class, I want them to understand that the visual art is structured and the fundamentals are important," he said as he leaned forward in his seat. "But I also want them to have an awareness that there are different ways of creating in art."

Marcucci said he believes in the importance of self-realization in such expression. He wants his students to know that making art is not just about drawing and being technical. Rather, they must know what they're expressing:

"I want them to understand that it's not only important to know how to draw. They have to know what they're creating and why."

The power of the present moment is something that Marcucci strongly believes in. As the president of Contemporaneo, he oversees the many events each year in Cagli, including discussion forums, art exhibitions and concerts.

"Our goal is to offer others a different view of world than the mass media, and we try to do this through bringing in experts on issues that are going on throughout the world today," Marcucci explained.

The purpose of the society is to bring current events and issues to the forefront of contemporary life and culture. Marcucci, Giuliana Paganucci, Stefano Manfucci, Andreina de Tomassi, Feliciano Paoli, Donna Galletta and Florindo Rilli founded the society in November 2001.

The group members are all of the same generation, born in the 1950s and the 60s, and all wanted to create a society in Cagli that highlighted the contemporary.  

"Because so many other cultural societies are focused on learning about the past, we felt that it was necessary to create an association that focuses on the present," Marcucci explained. "It's not that Cagli in particular needs a Contemporaneo, but all towns should have one."

Although Marcucci believes that the work he is doing with Contemporaneo is important to the Cagliese community, he also said he thinks that it steals time away from his true passion: creating and teaching art.

"My first purpose in life is to create art, but I'm also interested to teach because of the constant connection to young people," Marcucci said. And he will continue to create pieces of art that channel the present moment to express himself.

"Although art's purpose is to relate to the audience, it's more about personal expression," he said with a smile. "People may try to interpret my art, but I use it to express myself."

He turns, clasps his hands together and nods.

Leaving the studios of these two menrequires a readjustment to the familiar paving stones of the old town. But Sordini's parting words linger:

"For the artist, art is a need.   It's not just a want, but a great, intense need."

Story by Alyssa Porambo
Photos by Jennifer McNamara
Video by Allyson Carroll
Web Design by Gregory Cavaluzzo

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