Page 46 - Studio International - January 1965

Pomodoro-jewels
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Arnaldo and Gio Pomodoro are two Italian artists from
the Marche who, since they came to work in Milan about
ten years ago, have earned world reputations as sculp­
tors, Arnaldo receiving a grand prize at last year's Venice
Biennale, qualifying in default of a painter. Alongside
their work in monumental scale and smaller pieces of
gallery size, the two brothers are busy jewellers,
creating a variety of personal ornaments in silver and
gold with and without stones. for the adornment of
women, as well as table objects such as cigarette boxes.
This reversion to a medieval completeness 0f artistic
productivity carries with it a spirit of creation that is
without ambiguity. Looking at a brooch by Arnaldo for
example, one can see in miniature some of the charac­
teristics of his larger sculptures in bronze such as the
striated surfaces of parallel ridges in rectangular planes
or the necklaces incorporate the half-opened spheres
revealing their toothy interiors akin to those seen at
Venice in bronze. But there is no feeling of minuscule
sculptures in the component parts of the jewellery­
though the surfaces are akin, the pendant weight and
that of complementary counterpoint to the accompany­
ing shapes belong uniquely to the additive effect and
the fact too that their setting and background is human
skin and a woman's dress. In the case of Gio we see
without a doubt the fondness for bending a flat plane to
take on sometimes an analogy with the contours of the
human body; it gives a sensual warmth to brooches and
necklaces and echoes the curve of the torso it enhances.
Jewels by the brothers were shown at the world­
famous modern jewellery exhibition held at Goldsmiths
Hall in London three years ago and Marlborough Fine
Art Ltd. of Rome and London has shown and sold much
of it in recent times. From November. the gallery of
Semi ha Huber at Zurich held its first exhibition of recent
works by the Pomodoro brothers-one of the most
appropriate places to show jewellery, as Mme. Huber is
one of the most attractive persons to wear it. G. s. w. ■

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