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Commissioned by the Ceretto family, Francesco Clemente created the expansive fresco adording the walls of Ristorante Piazza Duomo in August of 2007.
The pictorial inspiration is developed around the dominant idea of the tree, of the vine and of life, a plant of abundance, a gift to the Ceretto family. The grape leaf positioned in the central space embraces a map of the world with its 5 continents, while the shoots of the vine branch off in a series of metaphoric images: decorative objects, a basket holding a double self-portrait of the artist, a boat and stars and a couple recalling the figures of Adam and Eve.
The fresco is realized with soft colors reminiscent of the landscape of the Langhe and Roero, the palette tending towards greens, grays and reds suggestive of the colors of Pompei.
Francesco Clemente, a native of Naples, graduating class of 1952, began producing a rich and expressive group of works in the 1970’s. An ardent traveler, he distinguished his own language of illustration, drawing from the cultural traditions and stylistic origins he encountered through numerous travels in Italy, India, the United States, New York and also the Southwest, and in the Caribbean. In 1970, he moved to Rome to study architecture. His mentors at the time were Alghiero Boetti and Luigi Ontani, as well as Joseph Beuys and Cy Twombly. In 1973 he began to cultivate his interest and knowledge of India, absorbing inspiration from the mystic heritage of the country and from its contemporary art. In 1979 he joins the “Transavantgarde” movement, the Italian version of Neo-expressionism conceived by the art critic Achille Bonito Oliva, becoming one of the most important representatives of the movement along with Cucchi, Chia, De Maria and Paladino.
Clemente moved to New York permanently in 1981, fascinated by the cultural diversity and the commotion of the city. It is here that he is “transformed” to important dimensions in the art world collaborating on numerous projects with various artists including Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol and progressive poets such as Robert Creeley, Allen Ginsberg and John Wieners. In his journey, he has experimented with and interchanged various different techniques and materials, from oil paints to watercolors, from ink to pastels, and finally working with sculpture.
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