A Journey Through Italy’s Landscapes

Viaje a Italia. Paisaje y memorabilia is the title of the exhibition opening this Friday, May 24, at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Havana.

The exhibition aims to highlight a significant process in the history of Western art: the recognition of landscape as an autonomous artistic genre, and the pivotal role played by the Italian school of painting in this development, as emphasized in the institution’s press release.

In this context, it will provide an opportunity to enhance the value of the museum’s Italian Art Collection, which boasts a high representation of landscape subgenres established by tradition throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. These include architectural perspectives, mountain landscapes, ruins, urban views, pastoral scenes, and «veduta dal vero» with its «capricci» variations. The collection also features notable works by key figures in this process, such as Viviano Codazzi, Giovanni Paolo Pannini, Francesco Zuccarelli, Michele Marieschi, Canaletto, Francesco Guardi, and many others.

The exhibition, housed in the Universal Art Building, includes nearly a hundred paintings, drawings, and prints. It will also showcase books and albums that reflect the richness that graphic arts contributed to the identity, collecting, and memorabilia of this type of production.

Viaje a Italia, which will remain open until September 15, borrows its title from one of the most profound autobiographical works by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, in which he described how each region he visited illuminated and enriched his spirit. His writing also served as an inspiration for the project.

This curation, led by Niurka Fanego Alfonso, creates essential connections with the exhibition Ver Italia y vivir. Experiencias de “lo sublime” en el arte cubano contemporáne, which will open the following day, also at the National Museum of Fine Arts.

The exhibition, offering a glimpse into the poetics of the «bel paese,» has received support from the Embassy of Italy in Cuba and its Ambassador, Roberto Vellano.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez