It is universally recognised that the highest peaks of imagination and art in craftsmanship have been reached in Venice. There are still people in Veneto who know how to make the most diverse products using various, often ‘secret’, techniques perfected in previous centuries by their predecessors.
One of these artists is quite definitely the eclectic Narciso Bicego, a real expert in antique plaster work such as Venetian marmorino. Setting off with a vast knowledge of architectonic restoration and on-going practical experience in the field, he unleashes a fervid imagination to make decorative panels reproducing works by great masters of painting, such as those by Gustav Klimt from his so-called ‘gold period’.
The result is quite unique: various sized panels, lightened by an aluminium honeycomb ground onto which a layer of beaten earthenware mortar is applied, provide the perfect base for the subsequent application of marmorino, a masonry finish that imitates the sheen of marble and was widely used in sixteenth-century Veneto architecture.
Narciso uses marmorino on the panel as a surface on which to highlight the softness of bodies and, sculpting all around, puts it into relief, also highlighting the beaten earthenware which becomes a pleasantly coloured base – and the authentic signature of his work.
The various parts in relief are then finished with various techniques such as gilding, using pure, 24 carat gold leaf in various shades, fresco paints or water colours, applied quickly to ensure the perfect result of the whole.
Splendid semi-precious stones are also inserted in some of the works.
The overall result is a highly personal mixed technique where, applying and adopting knowledge and technologies from various fields of art, Narciso produces works of an extremely pleasing style packed with cultural values.[glg_short_divider style=”hr-dotted”]
