Ugo Guidi, San Giovannino (1937)

marble, h. 140 cm
Carrara, Accademia di Belle Arti

This is one of the first works by Ugo Guidi, sculpted in 1937 when the artist was just twentyfive years old and had just finished his studies in the Academy of Fine Arts of Carrara.
With the San Giovannino, the sculptor took part to the sculpture contest "Stéphane Dervillé", and he won it. It was a biennial contest founded by Stéphane Dervillé, an important French person who lived in the beginnings of the 20th century. He was the possessor of some marble quarries in Carrara and he was fond of art: so he had the idea of founding a sculpture contest which had to bring his name and the prize was given to the work which had the best opinions of a selected jury. When Guidi took part and won the jury was composed by some important persons such as Arturo Dazzi who was Guidi's teacher, Gianni Vagnetti and Giulio Marchetti, two painters, and Carlo Rivalta, a sculptor. Guidi's victory was a sign of how much the Academy trusted in him and in his art. San Giovannino extols the academic canons: the pose is serene and realistic and reminds a Greek kouros rather than a Christian saint (the San Giovannino is actually lacking of his classical characteristics, the Cross and the camel tunic), the classical proportions.
But San Giovannino is different from ancient scultures and from Dazzi's works because the work by Guidi has not that proud and heroic scowl which characterized Dazzi's creations, but has a mild and childish expression.

A project by
Federico Giannini

Museo Ugo Guidi
(Forte dei Marmi)

Associazione Amici
del Museo Ugo Guidi
Onlus


Humanities
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University of Pisa