Americo Mazzotta Biography
Albino Americo Mazzotta was born in Collecchio, in the province of Parma, in 1941. From a young age he stood out for his ability in drawing and began to frequent the workshops of important painters such as Alessandro Gallucci and Bruno Baratti. Although his father had encouraged him to study architecture in Florence, Mazzotta abandoned his studies early to dedicate himself completely to painting, a passion that accompanied him throughout his life.
In 1981 he suffered a serious accident which triggered a profound internal crisis, from which the series of paintings entitled "Odyssey" was born, consisting of fourteen sanguine works on paper. In these works, which follow in the footsteps of Ulysses, the artist metaphorically describes his life.
His first important commission was the decoration of a wall painting in the church of the Madonna del Rosario in Redecesio, in Milan. This work, which measures 147 square meters, was created in monochrome and sanguine and is dedicated to the "Battle of Lepanto". Mazzotta created a highly dramatic work, in which the human figures follow one another along lines converging towards the center, with the cross overlooking the altar. Mazzotta's style, characterized by the realism of the drawing and the scenic movement of the figures, brings to mind Michelangelo's Last Judgment.
In 1989 he painted the "Piazza della Maieutica" in Rimini, using the sanguine technique which had now become his expressive signature. In this work, animated by characters such as Guitton, Ionesco and Tarkovsky, he created a sort of "School of Athens". With Tarkovsky, the famous Russian director exiled in Florence, Mazzotta developed a deep friendship which led them to often meet in the artist's home-studio in Bagazzano, near Fiesole.
For Mazzotta, art has the task of transfiguring what is mortal and not the ephemeral. It is not redemption in itself, but it yearns for it, and when it is authentic it shines like a flash of redemption. The artist does not just paint a given subject, but relives it and makes it present, involving the viewer in the vision.
