From 20 May to 18 June, at the Palazzo del Podestà in Castell'Arquato, twenty works recount the mutual artistic exchange between the painter Giancarlo Bargoni and his modern workshop students

From 20 May to 18 June, the medieval village of Castell'Arquato, in the province of Piacenza, is hosting Painting together - Bargoni Master Stage, an exhibition that shows the the work of ten students of Giancarlo Bargoni, an internationally renowned painter originally from Genoa, but Castellano by adoption, who lives and works between France and Val d'Arda.

The exhibition was organized with the patronage of the Municipality of Castell'Arquato, thanks to the Councilor for Culture and Tourism Gilda Bojardi, director of Interni.

Giancarlo Bargoni, an internationally renowned artist

After an initial training at the Barabino art school in Genoa and his figurative beginnings, Giancarlo Bargoni has been creating and exhibiting abstract paintings since 1958. He has taught and still teaches pictorial disciplines and, since the 1990s, has been the protagonist of personal exhibitions, in Italy, Germany and France.

“I paint as quickly as possible because I hope to see the idea that is born in shapes and colors flow directly into the space of the painting, through the hands, the spatulas, the rags, the brushes and the paper…”. This is how the artist defines his painting made up of shapes, colors and, above all, gestures that are transformed into an event of which the canvas does nothing but keep track and memory.

Trace and memory of an energy that itself becomes a work, art, in which Bargoni is today a master.

And given that painting is a pirate art, a trade that cannot be learned, but is 'stolen' from a master by putting oneself on the line, the master always eager for new discoveries, opening his atelier to equally eager students, he lets himself be 'robbed' by transforming his experience, his history, his talent into a gift.

Why this exhibition

“For a decade, Bargoni has held painting courses in France, in the Loire region and for some years he has hosted in his studio, in Vigolo Marchese, nearby of Castell'Arquato, a selected group of students, some with already started exhibitions, all with a great passion for painting, eager to share different experiences.

From this work of comparison, communication and reciprocal exchange, the idea of exhibiting some of the works 'painted together' was born”, explain the mayor Giuseppe Bersani and Gilda Bojardi, Councilor for Culture and Tourism.

The exhibition in Castell'Arquato

The exhibition at the Palazzo del Podestà in Castell'Arquato involves ten artists (Marie Annick Bénéton, Alain Bourgey, Christine Lance, Anne L.B., Yves Le-Bouc, Michèle Lellouche, Mariec Navel, Antonio Nigro, Miriam Odent , Isabelle Palenc) with different experiences, accompanied with professionalism and generosity by Giancarlo Bargoni.

Modern workshop students who arrive, thanks to the guidance of the mature artist, to define their artistic depth and to propose themselves autonomously. Twenty works on display, two of which by the master Bargoni.

The passion and anxiety of the creative process

“When I paint, I never have in mind any particular audience to whom I want to show my work; I want my work to communicate itself as completely as possible, in total accord with my authenticity so it can be seen, in any other way than in those exact terms.

My passion always supports me, from the anxiety of the beginning, in all moments of the creative process”, says Bargoni.

A mutual exchange

The true ideal spectators are those who share my passion: with them here with me today, students-friends-painters, a relationship of harmony and communication has been created that I consider truly extraordinary and the works exhibited testify to its seriousness and depth.

Together we have experienced many discoveries. Painting together is a reciprocal exchange: the master who learns teaches best”, concludes the artist.

Ancient roots

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue with the presentation of the critic Luigi Barbini and with reproductions of the exhibited works.

The title Painting together highlights the collective character of a process that has ancient roots. Also on display are two recent works by Bargoni, a large oil painting and one of the Croci di colore presented at the Collegio Alberoni in Piacenza in 2017.

Useful information and timetables

The exhibition is open every Friday, from 14.30 to 18.00, and on Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 to 12.30 and from 14.30 to 18.00.