-2010 Sandro's Suspended Saints.         By Yota Anghelou (Achitetto, Milan)

They dwell in the simplicity of the present moment, but above all in archaic and future metaphysical space. They are not at all a magical illusion. They do not hide their true nature. They are intriguing and beautiful in their realism. Women these saint-not-saints have always nourished and quenched our thirst. They have given their body and soul to all humanity. As nymphs, they initiated us into the pleasures of nature and as pythias, foreseeing the future, they protected us from life's adversities. How gratifying to see them all come alive in these beautiful paintings! Also splendid are the views of the ancient cities burning, the skies and especially the ‘Caravaggesque’ light.

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2010 - LA SOFFITTA di Colonnata, an art gallery that has been engaged for years in the Florentine territory with proposals of high artistic quality, proposes for the month of March the exhibition ‘Le Sante Sospese’, pictorial works by TOLEMAIOS, born Sandro Becucci, an emerging painter with a particularly varied and eclectic curriculum. Tolemaios has been able to combine pictorial experience with various artistic disciplines. From theatre to music, which have studded his path since the time of his artistic studies, to sculpture and decoration in the period in which he has been able to fruitfully apply to painting a vast and interesting production of artistic handicrafts, with which he has had success and access to many countries around the world, with exhibitions in Europe, the U.S.A., Japan and Singapore. Tolemaios' current cycle of paintings is the result of study trips in which meditation, sketches and visual notes led to the elaboration of the symbolic yet strictly figurative language of this cycle of paintings. In the words of the artist: 

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<This series of paintings gives free rein to my lucubrations, fantasies and reflections on various interconnected topics: woman as a biological and psychic being, her social and historical image, power and religious beliefs, polytheistic ‘paganism’ and monotheism, mythologies. The language is symbolic, ironic, burlesque, at times blasphemous when it distorts Christian iconography; always evocative. The ‘Beautiful’, the images and history of the ancient classical Greco-Roman world have always fascinated me and from there I draw my inspiration, as well as from the 17th century Baroque, from Caravaggio and his epigones...>

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ABRACADABRA Art Gallery – Florence, Via dell'Amorino 9 rosso

Painting Exhibition "Le Sante Sospese ed altri Meditapinti" by SANDRO PTOLEMÆUS BECUCCI

Realism and visionary spirit find an unusual meeting ground in the pictorial work of Sandro Becucci “Tolemaios,” transforming their ideal opposition into a unique empathy.
By the light of mythology, history, art, and the knowledge of different cultures and religions, our Tolemaios formulates a renewed symbolism in his own expressive terms, rejecting that anti-realist approach that has characterized his journey—above all, rejecting any detachment from social and moral issues, which here, instead, inform the artist’s thought. Like an alchemist, he constructs the evocative power of the image from a crucible of multiple suggestions, even antithetical ones, and the same theatricality—so intrinsic to his signature style—seems to be founded on the union of the sacred and the profane. This essence lingers in every one of his mise-en-scènes, enriched and nourished also by his previous path as a refined creator of masks, from which he derives his taste for embellishing the compositional framework with architectural or decorative details and tributes to iconographic models—sometimes reinterpreted and modified, sometimes deliberately made explicit—mainly drawn from classical and Baroque art.

The cycle of "Sante Sospese" becomes emblematic of a quest constantly aimed at harmonizing contradictions: as an act of accusation against any form of dogmatization, always instrumental; as a recognition and celebration of the complexity of human nature, particularly the feminine one; as a liberation from any cultural boundaries. In this, the artist reclaims his rightful role, becoming an interpreter of his world and his time while, through his work, casting an ideal bridge between archetype and contemporaneity.
His Sante—who, as he himself writes, are also witches, priestesses, sorceresses, or vestals—in their carnal beauty—since the choice of an alluring model of femininity is evident—reunite a concept of classicism with one of absolute modernity: in the end, both are stereotypes, yet revisited in their scenic contextualization to blend sensuality and spirituality, to reconnect culture and instinct, soul and matter, as values that belong to us in equal measure rather than conveying meanings in opposition to each other.

Ecco la traduzione del testo:

Drama and irreverence combine in Becucci’s poetics, as he merges the dedication of his pictorial practice and the awareness of thematic and philosophical boldness with the lightness of an ironic smile. Ultimately, the symbolism in his narratives always leads to overcoming the recurring dualism: we have seen it between the angelic and the demonic, religion and paganism, theater and reality, but also, in his pictorial expression, between light and shadow, citation and invention. Here, it takes shape in haloed women "suspended," as he himself describes, in a dimension that is both ecstasy and orgasm. Their lavishly painted and transgressive image belongs to the same atmosphere as the words of Marina Tsvetaeva when she writes that for the common man, the soul is the pinnacle of spirituality, while for the spiritual man, "it is almost flesh."

Florence, June 16, 2011
Roberta Fiorini

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EXHIBITION "I MASCHERERI" - AUTHOR'S MASKS BY SANDRO BECUCCI

ART ATELIER HOTEL - Via dell’Amorino 20 rosso, Florence - February 10 to 29, 2012

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Sandro Becucci, in addition to being a painter, was a creator and producer of masks and papier-mâché objects for over 25 years, which, in reality, are true sculptures in every sense. The technique of papier-mâché and the art of patination have allowed the artist to imitate even the most noble and solid materials, such as bronze, gold, silver, leather, wood, porcelain, and terracotta. In other cases, it is the brilliant and colorful pictorial decoration or even precious accessories—such as Swarovski crystals, lace, and fabrics stiffened with kaolin—that weave the decorative texture of these works.

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For this exhibition at the Art Atelier Hotel, Becucci presents a vast retrospective of pieces from the collections created and used by I MASCHERERI.

I Maschereri Atelier d’Arte was founded by the artist in 1977 and closed in 2002, the year in which Becucci dedicated himself entirely to his painting project "Le Sante Sospese".

The masks, marionettes, and other objects on display were produced between 1980 and 2000. However, there will also be a few surprises created especially for this event.

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"THE SACRED AND THE PROFANE"

An exhibition by Sandro Becucci and Carlo Berti at "Caffè Curtatone" in Florence

"SACRED AND PROFANE" is the title of the exhibition by Sandro Becucci and Carlo Berti, but it is also one of the most debated and deeply felt themes in our Western culture. Two forces constantly clashing, in perpetual opposition, yet two sides of the same coin—at the core of human life and the driving force of everything. Two extremes that attract and repel each other, meet and collide, but ultimately exist as consequences of one another, blending into that harmonious contrast that is Love. Love as the origin and essence of all things, “…love that moves the sun and the other stars…” as Dante said. But also love as the synthesis of the eternal duality between the sacred and the profane. On one side, there is "profane love," understood in a physical sense, as desire, pleasure, and passion. On the other, its opposite yet indispensable counterpart: "sacred love," metaphysical, transcendent, a form of harmony and spiritual union.

Sandro Becucci undoubtedly gives voice to the more "profane," physical aspect: in his paintings, the naked beauty of the female body boldly asserts the perhaps uncomfortable but undeniably natural necessity of hedonistic sensuality. His figures are statuesque, voluptuous, provocative, even sinful, if you will, yet they remind us—without hypocrisy—that mystical love and sexual acts are merely two facets of the same reality. In Sandro’s works, priestesses, saints, and vestals display their bodies without hesitation. While they may satisfy voyeuristic appetites, their provocative nudity also speaks to that primal force, that instinctual and creative energy, that ancient wisdom that empowers existence. Pablo Picasso famously claimed, “Art is always dangerous and never chaste; otherwise, it would not be art.”

And he was right. Nudity undeniably has an impact, acting as a powerful catalyst, an instigator. Sandro Becucci skillfully uses the fascination of the female body, the dramatic interplay of light and shadow reminiscent of Caravaggio, and an acute sense of scenography. His carefully composed frames—often close-ups—create a strong visual and emotional impact, while the theatrical use of drapery and fabrics enhances the drama. Through a highly symbolic, at times even irreverent, language, he dismantles religious conventions and stereotypes, breaking the chains of an existence that does not align with our truest needs. He rediscovers, through the essence of femininity, that "passionate creativity and ancestral wisdom."

Conversely, Carlo Berti’s art speaks to the other side of the coin—the innate human desire for harmony and spiritual transcendence. But how does one convey such a profound, intangible, and elusive feeling? Carlo Berti achieves this through an intriguing interplay of delicate revelations and continuous concealments. In his paintings, figures do not come to life through plastic modeling; rather, like reflections on water, they emerge through intricate chromatic and geometric compositions. With a grand imaginative vision, he reveals and conceals, for example, the affectionate embrace of a Madonna and Child or conveys Divine Mercy, where Jesus sacrifices himself to save humanity. These themes have an extensive artistic tradition behind them, but Berti reinterprets them in a decidedly modern, even “pop” style.

Nothing in his work is accidental—circular shapes, curved lines, and colors echo, converge, and diverge, resulting in an extremely balanced and mathematically controlled composition. However, his chromatic theory disrupts this mathematical rigidity, infusing his works with liveliness, lightness, and dynamism.

"SACRED AND PROFANE" is undoubtedly an exhibition that shines a spotlight on an essential duality, reminding us of the beautiful myth of "Cupid and Psyche" by Apuleius. Like all legends, beneath its delightful narrative lies an important allegorical meaning: Cupid, known as Eros in Greek mythology, represents love and desire, while Psyche, a mortal of extraordinary beauty, symbolizes the soul. As Apuleius tells us, after many trials and with Jupiter’s help, Cupid ultimately unites with his beloved Psyche, granting her immortality. From their union—of soul and passion—comes Pleasure.

Through their works, Sandro Becucci and Carlo Berti clearly illustrate the importance of acknowledging the duality within each of us. By embracing the union of opposites, we can achieve mystical ecstasy and a deeper form of understanding.

After all, as Daniele Luttazzi wisely puts it, “The imagination must be able to oscillate between the sacred and the profane in order to remain healthy.”

January 30, 2013
Virginia Bazzechi Ganucci Cancellieri