by Valentina Biondini, art and literature amateur
Mario Reviglione was a painter, and printmaker, close to Symbolism, a forerunner of the Art Deco style, akin to the movement of Magic Realism, and proudly countering the dominant style of the early 20th century. His two favorite subjects were landscape and portrait. In painting nature he drew more heavily on Belgian and French Symbolist tendencies, evident in his views of lakes at the evocative hours of dawn and dusk, while in his portraits he stands out for his utter originality.
In the 1910s, he created his most intense paintings, among which Preludio lunare. Ricordo di viaggio (1914) stands out, now in the collection of the Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Turin, where the term preludio in the title evokes a poignant synesthesia (a juxtaposition of two words belonging to different sensory spheres) between painting and music, the latter understood as “the only art capable of arousing emotions.” Synesthesia which returns in at least two other works: Preludio (1916) and Intermezzo Elegiaco (Decorative panel, 1922).
Before delving into his own words, it’s worth to briefly reviewing the most significant moments in his life and work. Mario Reviglione was born in Turin in 1883, and his artistic career began in his hometown which, at the end of the 19th century, was one of the most culturally and artistically vibrant and avant-garde centers in the entire peninsula. He enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts, but soon dropped out due to disagreement with the naturalist style that was prevalent within the institution at the time. Then, after distancing himself from academic languages that he considered outdated, he came into contact with the sculptor Leonardo Bistolfi, among the first to introduce Symbolist art to the Piedmontese capital, and with other exponents of the Turin avant-garde who gravitated towards him, such as Felice Carena and the engraver Carlo Turina. Admired by his contemporaries, Reviglione played a decisive role in the formation of a circle of young artists who, like him, opposed academic culture and looked with admiration to international Symbolism.
He absorbed Symbolism’s suspended and fantastical atmospheres, ultimately developing his own original artistic language, far removed from the then-current trends and also gaining the support of numerous critics. Despite his proverbial reserve, his exhibition career began at the beginning of the new century: his debut dates back to 1903 in Turin at the Promotrice delle Belle Arti. In 1906, he was invited to the Mostra del Ritratto of Milan (1906), and the following year he exhibited at the Venice Biennale, where he participated in every edition until 1922. He exhibited at the Rome Quadrennial and the Prima Esposizione d’arte della Secessione Romana (1913-1916) and at numerous exhibitions in Turin until 1942.
He alternated painting with woodcut engraving and collaborated as a draftsman for several magazines. In 1912, thanks to his talent, he was invited to exhibit his engravings at the Italian Woodcut Exhibition in Levanto, an event that established him as a draftsman and colorist of rank, also appreciated by critics. His shy and retiring nature led him, starting from the end of the First World War, to withdraw increasingly into himself, a condition that was further accentuated after the loss of his beloved Giuseppina Morganti, wife and muse, so much so that, in the late 1940s, he ended up leading a life of solitude and poverty until 1965, the year of his death. Let’s listen to his words…
You’re probably wondering how a critically acclaimed artist, with a band of rebellious artists in his entourage and a long list of important exhibitions behind him, ended up like this, right? Well, my dears, I don’t have an answer. I can only tell you that I’m neither the first nor the last to have fortune brazenly turned its back on me over the course of my life. One thing, however, I do know: I’ve never pursued fortune and all the trappings which bring it, like success and fashion. What I’ve done, since I was very young, has been to pursue beauty, trying to capture it in my works. They will be able to testify to what I’m saying, assuming you know them… In truth, I don’t know if I’ve truly succeeded, but I know I’ve put my all into the pursuit of an absolute and uncompromising ideal that has been the reason for my life. And, all things considered, perhaps it was also its downfall…
For my ideal of art, I went against everything: prevailing morality, tastes and fashions of the moment. Perpetually against the grain. And irremediably alone. So, have I suffered? Yes, materially and sometimes even spiritually, as when my lover and muse passed away. However, tenaciously faithful to my love for her, so often sublimated in my works, and to my artistic creed, at least I have never betrayed myself or other artists who placed their trust in me. But enough talking now! I have nothing more to say to you, everything you want to know about me you can glean from my works, which are more sincere than so many empty words.
Along with the artist’s isolation, his work also fell into a long oblivion. Indeed, after the last major monographic exhibition dedicated to him in 1966, curated by Italo Cremona and organized by Galleria Fogliato in Turin, it was necessary to wait for the enthusiasm and insight of a few enthusiasts – including Vittorio Sgarbi – who, only in 2023, attempted to rescue him from the oblivion to which he had been unjustly confined by organizing a major exhibition at the MART in Rovereto, showcasing his 60 well-known works from public and private collections.