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Criticism

Viscuso

by Francie McDougal

Describing anyone as a "Renaissance man" has become so trite, it seems more sarcastic than sincere in today’s worldly society. But Emanuel Viscuso is a Renaissance man of the most genuine sort. Dashing and ebullient, Viscuso has only lived in Miami for a year and a half and his sculptures have already attracted the attention of this country’s cultural cognoscenti. He was born in Sicily, educated in Naples, and most recently a resident of Milan. But two years ago he visited his sister in Miami, fell in love with a house, and resolved to make it his new home. "I did not choose Miami. Maybe Miami chose me. I saw this house, and I said, ‘I must change my life.’" His trade is the same here as there, sculptor of lyrical works in wood and fiberglass that Viscuso describes as "solid music." While their form might bring to mind the futuristic works of Brancusi, Viscuso says, : "they are modular and based on the mathematics and golden section." That's why some art critic wrote that this artwork has the same sense of harmony present in the public architecture and sculpture of classic Greece, whose Sicily is rich." though they still create a strong sense of energy. Viscuso’s sculptures are vast constructions that explore the limits of form while defying the laws of gravity. His works are also derived from a lifetime of experience. Viscuso was trained as a lawyer, worked as a banker for 11 years, and then one day in 1984, he decided to follow his heart and return to the art world. "When I left the bank to make art, I supposed my art would be music," he says. (Viscuso is a concert pianist and music composer.) "But less than a year after leaving the bank, I had an exhibition of artworks called "drawings of music", and I sold everything." The drawings turned into sculptures, first executed with large packing staples—to exercise in reality what he’d visualized in a dream--then wooden maquettes and finally creations that grace large public spaces and intimate gardens. While his work has a modern feel, Viscuso is adamant about its classical inspiration. "My father was a sculptor—in the classic way—bodies, horses. My mother was a teacher, a headmistress, and she played the piano. They were such great influences in my life. My sculptures mix the two things—the music and the classic sculpture. There is always a vibration, a rhythm to them. In a word, there is harmony" As successful as Viscuso has become with his art in the short time that he has been here—he was already well established in Italy -- I only mention his sculpture in the airport of Milan Malpensa.--he has not rested on his art laurels. He keeps a piano in his studio, which he returns to during interruptions in the art-making process. He has created a line of trompe l’oeil wallpapers, a very well known firm with his name in Italy that he would try to launch also in the USA, and is helping his sister Marivana on the Art Temple, a former religious temple that will now be a center for the arts. He also has a yet-to-be-unveiled worlwide proposal for the site of the World Trade Centers that sounds like a remarkable tribute to life, and he's put in touch each other the mayors of many cities starting with Miami and Palermo (that are already sisters cities) to create some way to connect these cities with art. "Art can be magic. It can be an imaginary bridge that connects us all. That's why the title of his airport sculpture in Milano is "Wave-bridge on the imaginary"