ART, WHATEVER IT TAKES

Since the early pandemic in 2020, Rome Art Program has conducted a series of interviews, “Art, Whatever It Takes.”
Artists, Art Critics, and Art Historians living in Italy, the U.S., and U.K., share their insights during these powerful times.

Interview with Valeria, President of Il Salotto di Diotima

“Il Salotto di Diotima” began the activity in 2017 from an idea of Carmen Tubío, a Spanish artist and art critic, together with a group of artists and art lovers; the cultural association (APS-Social Association since 2022) brings together art and friendship, creating a meeting point for artists, of various genres but especially figurative art and organizing events and art exhibitions.

RAP: What is your definition of “art” today?

Valeria: For me it is above all revelation, unveiling the deepest truth of human being; inner world, spirituality, transcendence, emotions and feelings are intangible and concrete realities at the same time, and art is the best way to make them visible and shareable.

RAP: Art is dynamic and regenerates itself… how does it change, and how did it change us?

Valeria: Art, an expression of the artist’s interiority and the fruit of a storical period, is like life and like history: constantly evolving. Personally, art has altered and expanded the perception and understanding of reality and the exterior and interior world.

RAP: When (and how) did you understand that art was becoming very important in your life?

Valeria: I have always believed… I thank my parents, who from an early age passed on to me the love for art, making me appreciate beauty even in small things. Living in Rome, where art is part of everyday life, it has influenced my studies, work activities and interests.

RAP: What role does art play today? What are the “great figures” who have recently changed it? Do you feel close to any of these figures?

Valeria: A fundamental role, today as always. “Great figures” today… I don’t know, maybe I don’t recognize them; behind some famous names I see mostly commercial operations. On the contrary I see and know many unknown artists who are rich in talent, and this seems to me very positive and encouraging.

RAP: Are there still traditional figures such as collectors, muses, mecenate and patrons, in today’s art and society interaction model?

Valeria: Yes of course, with some differences. “Muse”: I don’t see iconic figures capable of influencing art; sometimes artists are able to find their muse. The collectors and patrons then joined the “market” with the logic of profit, that can negatively influence art. I hope there will always be free artists and that art can enrich society with beauty, and be accessible to all.

RAP: How have the new technologies and media culture changed art today, improving or worsening it…? What do you feel are your biggest challenges?

Valeria: New technologies are tools and as such they can influence positively whenever used well. The challenge is to maintain mastery of them, to use them in creative and original ways. It is the unique and irreplaceable human factor that makes the difference.

RAP: Art as a mirror of man, in this moment of emergency seems to be shattered …what do these fragments reflect now?… Shadow or light of the moment?

Valeria: Art today often reflects fears and anxieties. However, art can also be therapy. Fragments can be reassembled and re-create harmony and beauty, in which human beings can find their image again. This role of art is crucial, in times of crisis particularly.

RAP: Understanding, interpreting, and then possibly judging the work of art; which is the right path when we are in front of a piece of art?

Valeria: First step: give ourselves time; in a world that drives us to haste, the work of art invites us to pause. Let us stop and look with a little more attentive eyes and a mind free of prejudice. Only by contemplating we’ll understand the work, grasping its resonances within us; we will be able to better interpret and judge.

RAP: Which is the real role of Academies and Art schools today? What can artists learn from these institutions today?

Valeria: Studying is important, gaining knowledge and mastery of various techniques is necessary to choose one’s own path and express oneself to the fullest. The exchange with teachers and fellow students creates stimulation and relationships, and helps develop creativity; it’s important as well.

RAP: Art too has undergone a complex process of globalization; can having an authentic and genuine style be an advantage or a drag for an artist?

Valeria: “If you want to be universal, speak of your village” (Tolstoy)…I believe the concept also applies to figurative art. Authenticity and genuineness can strike the viewer more than flawless technique. It is important to make oneself recognizable in a world that tends to homogenize everything. In the Diotima’s Salon each artist has a personal style, and for us this is an asset.

RAP: How do Art Galleries and Museums position themselves today, and, in your opinion, how should they?

Valeria: In Italy we have extraordinary museums, sometimes small but real jewels. Some could be better enhanced, to make their educational role more effective. It’s important to know the art of those who came before us: “we are dwarfs on the shoulders of giants,” medievals said. Private Galleries play an important role in the contemporary art knowledge, and I am pleased to see their revival.

RAP: “Figuration” vs “Abstraction”. Which of the two is better descriptive of the period we live in? Which one will have a better future?

Valeria: “Figurative” is recovering even among young people, “Abstract” is always very present. Personally I appreciate both and I don’t see them opposed; there are many more contaminations and similarities than it appears.

RAP: Today we often speak of “emerging artists”; what advice based on your experience do you feel you can give to young artists?

Valeria: First, I would like to thank them, their talent and passion is a gift to everyone, and then to observe nature, an inexhaustible source of inspiration. And not to be isolated, to accept advice and criticism: every confrontation is useful. To live one’s fundamental role in society with humility, to remember that beyond material life there is more. To look upward, to be conscious bearers of a gift that can communicate joy, beauty, harmony, peace .

RAP: Art as a lens for reading the present, can it modify the space and time we pass through? …will art save us?

Valeria: It depends on the artists; I have to stress the importance and responsibility of their role: in a world torn apart by conflict, flattened by globalization, where the human being is even seen as a danger to the planet, it’s easy to feel confused and afraid. Art can put the person, his creativity, his capacity to generate and be regenerated by beauty, back at the center.

Il Salotto di Diotima – Artistis:

Albanese; A. Algiroffo; A. M. Bagnato; G. Cannata; G. Cataldo; L. Carlodalatri; M. Cipriano; M. Claro; M. D’Angelo; P. De Giovanni; De Luca; A. Ercolano; M. Fabbri; A. Gianelli; A. Kousha; P.Langher; R. Lenci; A. Meschini; B. Moreno de Barreda; C. Mulieri; A. Mutti; V. Pallotta; A. Pediconi; G. Prestia; M. Quesada; E. Rama; L. Rizzuto; L. Russo; S. Tagliati; C. Tubío; A. Vattuone.

www.ilsalottodidiotima.wordpress.com