“Mi non odio nissun!” Venetian dialect for “I hate no one.”
Keep this phrase in mind and we’ll come back to it soon.
It makes stop to think in this era of “haters.”
Winged Cupid by Canova
Could an exhibition with a name like “Eternal Beauty” possibly be ugly?
Of course not. And the Canova-Eternal Beauty exhibition, from October 9, 2019 to June 21, 2020 at the Palazzo Braschi site of the Museum of Rome, keeps all its promises.
Creugas of Durres and Damoxenos of Syracuse
At any rate, how can we but be thrilled to see so many masterpieces by the great sculptor from Possagno?
The Dancer with Hand on her Hips
His talent propelled him quickly to the heights of international art. His arrival in Rome started a spectacular career that led him to be the most sought-after artist by royals from half of Europe.
Canova by Candlelight
He was also the favored artist of many popes, including Pope Pius VII, for whom, upon his return from exile in France, he sculpted a great work called Religion.
Bust of Religion
Like all the greatest artists, he was also a brilliant draughtsman and painter, as seen in his incredible painting “Immaginary portrait of Ezzelino da Romano by Antonio Canova (1793)”.
The crazed eyes of the portrait amazingly anticipates the Romantic era.
Antonio Canova imaginary portrait of Ezzelino da Romano
There’s another key aspect of Canova’s life I wanted to tell you beyond his art. In 1802, he was appointed Inspector General of the Fine Arts.
This was the decisive role he played in bringing back many of the countless masterpieces looted by Napoleonic troops.
To tell you about the event, I’ll give you Wikipedia, which I don’t much like for many reasons, but in this case, considering the amount of information, it seems indispensable.
I hope there are no true lovers of ancient Italian art among you but if you are one, get ready because reading this will pain your heart.
It’s nothing new, of course, but some of the details that are simply chilling and always leave us distraught. This is what happened
If you read the entire entry from the link, you may not have the strength left to read the last few lines here.
Canova Bust of Clement XIII
Anyhow, the phrase we started with, “I hate no one!” was spoken by Antonio Canova in this context. The huge gap between his dignity and the situation surrounding him needs no common.
I’ll let a descriptive panel from the exhibition explain.
“In early April, during the oath to the newly formed Republic by the members of the Institute’s various sections, Canova broke definitively with the Republicans.
Antonio D’Este, Canova’s trusted partner, wrote, “He was asked to take the oath, which was worded as ‘I swear hatred of the sovereigns, etc.…’
He, understanding this principle, stood up and said in his native dialect,
