A Stroll Down Praiano's Memory Lane
Artist Paolo Sandulli's celebration of the old fishing life
Artist Paolo Sandulli in his own words
Bio
I started painting after seeing my grandmother paint, and since then I have never stopped.
After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts I won a scholarship to go to Paris where I spent 5 years working in the same workshop where Chagall began his career.
Then I came to Praiano, where my parents had decided to purchase a house in the 60s. For more than 25 years I have had the privilege of having my workshop in this medieval tower.
When I found out about the Praiano NaturArte Project, I immediately thought of placing my work along the path that leads from “my” tower to the beach.
I thought that opening my art to all the people who were going to the beach would be the perfect conclusion of an artistic cycle. And I thought of making ceramic panels that would tell different stories related to the people who used to live and work in the bay.This is both a celebration of the fishing life and a stroll down memory lane—when the beach was part of a fishing village and tourism hadn’t yet discovered it. I made 7 pieces, all painted terracotta plates, mounted on stainless steel frames. Each one tells a different story.
I thought that the subject of the change of this area from a fishing village to a tourist resort was right for the NaturArteProject. In other words, my contribution to the Project is in connecting tourists who come today to the past and the memories of the place they visit. In that way, I feel all visitors can know the past and the traditions of the site they visit.
As a tourist town, I believe we should try to attract the kind of tourists who appreciate local history.
Historically, the Amalfi Coast has always been able to attract people motivated by the search for beauty. This is why artists from all over the world came and stayed, from Picasso to Nureyev.
And I am hoping that with this Project a new generation of artists will follow the same path, along with the many tourists interested in this extraordinary mix of art and nature.
WATCH THE VIDEOS BY RAFFAELE CAPPIELLO & MICHELE IACCARINO
Ceramic Poetry
Paolo wrote a poem that goes with every ceramic relief he made. You can hear him recite them in Italian clicking here:
➢ Pascalotto e il totano gigante
➢ Lighea
➢ La torre
➢ Carmela