7 Years & a Lifetime: the Road to L’Arte Nascosta, pt. II
…continued from Part I .
And so began the adventure to discover l’arte nascosta, or the hidden art.
In the years that followed, my idea matured and – thanks to the help of my sister - I even gave it a name; it would be called L’Arte Nascosta, Italian for “The Hidden Art.”
We were inspired by a Renaissance treatise called Il Cortegiano (1528) by Baldassare Castiglione. In the work, Castiglione describes the many habits and dispositions that he thought an individual of a certain social standing should maintain to elicit the attention of a prince; among these was an outward appearance of nonchalance. Scholars have drawn a parallel between Castiglione’s idea of studied carelessness, or sprezzatura as he called it, and an even more ancient concept (sometimes attributed to Ovid): “ars est celare artem,” or, “it is art to conceal art.” Without delving too deeply into Renaissance revisitations of classical philosophy, the idea struck a chord with me. There was no doubt in my mind that my experience in Florence had led me to embark on a journey to rediscover the hidden art.
In the seven years that followed, what began as a business idea to close a gap in the market had matured into a more nuanced project to seek, and hopefully find the ever-elusive arte nascosta. In time, I became acutely aware of the many challenges facing artisans in the marketplace and crafted the structure of this business in such a way that would encourage others to join me on this endeavor while amplifying the voice and reach of the artisans that I partnered with.
With my sister Claudia (and our older friend) Rome, 2016
“It is art to conceal art.”
My first commission from an artisn; the first Ellenistico Ring.
Baldassare Castiglione (Raphael, 1514-15)
In the early days, I was convinced that I would find l’arte nascosta in the masterpieces created by our Artisan Partners, but that seemed reductive - this world that I had stumbled upon was so much deeper and even more intricate than those beautiful objects. Then I widened my lens and brought the Masters of Craft into focus; even then the picture wasn't complete, there was more left to uncover. To limit the narrative of this project to the artisans alone seemed to implicitly subject them to the same kind of isolation that they were already limited to in the digitized marketplace. No, I hadn't plumbed the bottom; the scope had to be wider still.
Surely, artisans don't work in isolation; they only represent the supply side of the equation. The demand side, on the other hand, is represented by millions of patrons all over the world whose creative ideas and desire for self-expression prompt the artisans to create irreplaceable, timeless works of art. What is it that inspires the patrons, then, if not harmony? The harmonious relationship between the patron and a loved one, that overwhelming feeling of harmonious wholeness when holding something in the palm of a hand that represents a personal lineage and family history, that harmonious, albeit, inaudible chord that is struck when a newly-crafted object’s balance in color, proportion and form becomes a new addition to our physical world after it had been an intangible idea for so long.
That was it! It took me 7 years and a lifetime, but I finally cracked the riddle: the hidden art is harmony. You don't see it when it's there, but you definitely feel it when it isn't.
Franco Stinga (Sorrento, 2022)
Roberta Giannoccaro (Florence, 2022)
Sophie Capucine, apprentice to Marta Cucchia (Perugia, 2022)
Harmony inspires the patron; the patron commissions the artisan; the artisan brings that previously intangible idea into physical existence… all the while, it is harmony that keeps the gears in motion: the harmonious relationship between artisan and patron, and the harmonious lineage that connects the artisan to the centuries of masters, mentors and tradition that inform his every gesture as he brings a new creation into being.
Despite the fact that L’Arte Nascosta has become my full-time job, and that I spend my working days as well as much of my free time immersed in all aspects of this ancient world, my appreciation for the harmony that to emanates in all directions from any artisan-patron relationship continues to grow.
Each of the commissions that our patrons entrust to us are visual poems – allegories that when viewed in their totality compose an extraordinarily enticing landscape. Through this editorial page, I look forward to exploring that landscape with you. We will examine its widest valleys, and its thickest forests: our artisan partners, how they work, the cities they come from, the history that has influenced the evolution of their craft. We will explore special commissions made by our patrons, and the work that was entailed to bring their vision to life. We will even have occasional guest posts where experts in their respective fields will share historic insights to help us understand l’arte nascosta that much better.
This is our journey, and I’m glad we’re on it together.
Thank you for following,
Salva
