Gino Spalmach - Portrait

Portraiture is one of the most widespread artistic expressions, especially in painting, but also in sculpture, throughout all eras. Above all, a portrait is a description of the represented subject, an attempt to faithfully and naturally capture their features and individual characteristics. As artistic exploration gradually evolved, the physiognomic description of the subject was accompanied by a psychological one. Thus, over the centuries, portraiture has also become a means of introspective inquiry into the subject, their character, and their state of mind. The processes of abstraction introduced by contemporary art have further supported this type of inquiry.

In his pictorial production, the artist Gino Spalmach stands out for truly excellent formal quality. This can be seen not only in his landscapes but also in the many portraits he executed, in which, although the subjects differ, his highly developed sense of naturalistic rendering interpreted through a modern lens remains constant. Indeed, despite the impeccable, almost photographic recording of physiognomic details, Spalmach seeks to avoid any attempt to idealize the subject. For this reason, his figures are imbued with a real vitality given by the genuineness of their gestures and poses, which are sometimes almost casual, and by the profound existential vibrations he manages to convey through his painting. Indeed, Gino Spalmach's pictorial execution is distinguished by great complexity and a modern approach to naturalistic rendering. His brushwork is fluid and, in some cases, more concise, in order to achieve a truly realistic and therefore living dimension of the human figure.

Gino Spalmach (Rome 1900 – 1966). Following his father's death in 1916, he moved to Modena, where he attended the Institute of Fine Arts. After Caporetto, he volunteered for military service and went to the front. Discharged in 1921, he returned to Rome, where he spent his days in museums. He rented a space to set up a studio. He entered the Royal Prize of the Accademia di San Luca and came in first place, tied with another artist. In 1924, he entered the Royal Prize of the Accademia di San Luca again and won with the painting "Ultimo commiato". In October 1940, he was called back to arms and assigned the rank of lieutenant to the General Command of the Italian troops in Albania, with the task of depicting war scenes. His works from the front were published in newspapers and purchased by public institutions. During those years, he held his first solo exhibitions. After September 8, 1943, he was recalled and invited to join a regiment stationed in Mestre. However, he escaped and took refuge in Mentana, organizing with other soldiers to resist the Germans. Following a tip-off, he was loaded onto a train bound for Germany. Gino Spalmach arrived at the Moosburg international concentration camp, near Munich, under the control of the International Red Cross. Thanks to an intern who gave him sheets of paper and pastels, he began working again. Gino Spalmach spent much of his time making studies and sketches of daily life in the camp and was also tasked with painting something on the walls of a small chapel set up in a barracks. Finally, on August 17, 1945, Gino Spalmach left for Italy by truck and arrived in Rome on August 27. He resumed working in his studio on via Margutta. The works he executed during his period of captivity were very successful, and he exhibited them in several galleries. He also participated in the VI, VII, and IX Quadriennale di Roma.

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