The artist from Catanzaro tells his story, illustrating his professional journey and providing details about some of his most well-known and appreciated works, including the coat of arms of Catanzaro, that is, the Eagle - revisited from his point of view and installed at the entrance to the city - inaugurated on the occasion of the feast of San Vitaliano
Fancesco Caroleo was born in Catanzaro in 1975. From a young age, he worked in the artistic field, first attending the Art High School and later the Academy of Fine Arts in Catanzaro. In the Catanzaro art scene, he is also known by the pseudonym Artè, which has accompanied him for most of his career and has seen him stand out in the challenging and complicated field of artistic glassmaking.
Not very accustomed to interviews and public statements, this time he agreed to do this interview in which he will talk about himself and his art.
How and when did your artistic journey begin?
I grew up in a family of artists (each in different fields and disciplines), so art has always been present in my life. Surely this had a big and decisive influence on my personal development and, above all, on my professional and artistic path.
In 1999 you founded your atelier "Artè", but what does it mean?
At first, it was just a project, a simple idea. But now I’ll explain the meaning of the name Artè: ARTE ESSERE - art as a way of being and a way of living. The artist does not see things in a normal way, and is often in conflict with himself. I wanted to bring together a group of artists to face this conflict together. Unfortunately, it turned out to be very complicated to succeed in this endeavor. For this reason, Artè then became my symbol, my individual brand for over 30 years. To conclude, lately it’s as if a bubble has formed around Artè, so I am trying to bring out the Person, Francesco.
Is there any artist you are inspired by?
For years I was an informal and conceptual artist. My points of reference were Emilio Vedova and Alberto Burri. But I have always admired artists like Marcel Duchamp or Salvador Dalì. They had a big influence on the second part of my artistic life. At this moment in my life, I have returned to my origins, so to figurative art, and consequently I try to study all the hyperrealist movements.
You have created many works, where can we find them?
Among my most emblematic works is certainly the coat of arms of Catanzaro: that is, the Eagle - revisited from my point of view and installed at the entrance to the city - inaugurated on the occasion of the feast of San Vitaliano. The height of the work is 4.5 m with a diameter of 2.85 m. The structure was made with 5 mm Corten sheet metal, while the shield, composed of a glass mosaic, is a double-sided work, so it can be enjoyed from both sides, and was made with precious hand-drawn glass. Another work present in the city is the plaque dedicated to Sandro Pertini, installed at the San Giovanni Municipal Complex. Among the most important artistic glassworks carried out, I would like to mention the stained glass window inside the Church of Mater Domini, about 140 m. My team and I started the work back in 2001, and finished it in 2021. I want to specify that the stained glass window was made based on a project by Maestro Parrillo, who for me was not only a master of art - from whom I still draw for my works - but also a Master of life.
Can you tell us something about your present and future projects?
Yes. I tried to create the first Catanzaro City brand. Together with my team, we created - always according to my vision - the Eagle of Catanzaro, reworked in a realistic way, as if it had the appearance of a real eagle. In doing this, we started from the description by Vincenzo d’Amato from 1670, and we were also freely inspired by that of Toni Pileggi from 1974. The first pin was delivered to the mayor last February. In the future, there will be several collaborations with stores where various gadgets from my brand will be available.
Francesco Caroleo recently presented his works in the concert hall of the Municipality of Catanzaro, thus opening the concert season organized by the A.Gi.Mus. association. Francesco, with his works, is certainly making an important contribution to the artistic and cultural growth of the city. This, thanks also to his brand, which is able to bring back that sense of self-love to the city and a sense of common unity.
Curiosities:
- Francesco Caroleo is distantly related to the Catanzaro composers and band directors Salvatore Caroleo senior (1880-1958) and Salvatore Caroleo junior (1916-1989).
- Francesco Caroleo is the cousin of engineer Renato Caroleo, who designed the Anchor placed at Catanzaro Lido.