Beauty Appreciation in This Country

Throughout the years, many artists have inspired and shaped my creative journey. From the ethereal light studies of James Turrell to the raw emotional power of Rothko's color fields, each has left an indelible mark on how I perceive and create art.

Often, people ask me if I miss Italy.

I really don't miss Italy as a country. I miss only something that I can call... Italianism. What do I mean by this? I mean that I miss the way things should be appreciated for their beauty!

Just an everyday example. If in Italy, in any city, a new model of Ferrari or Lamborghini is parked on the street, immediately a big group of people passing by forms around the car. They look for all particulars, outside and inside the car, taking pictures, sending messages and commenting among themselves.

In the same situation here, for example in San Francisco, not only no one stops, but no one even turns their head towards the car! The car, not only is a mechanical masterpiece but is also a marvelous piece of modern art just put there and can be seen for free without paying for a ticket to enter in a Museum!

People don't care because appreciation of beauty is almost unknown in this Country! And this happens in all fields: arts, fashion, foods, sports, landscapes, people and the joy to live 360 degrees.

In your Constitution, your Founding Fathers wrote the unalienable rights of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" and, in my opinion, the appreciation of beauty is supposed to bring "happiness".

So why does this happen?

I think it's about the total absence of teaching, and consequently learning, to appreciate beauty in all its manifestations. I think that this concept of appreciating beauty should be taught starting at school.

In one of my past newsletters, I was making this example: if at school a kid traces around his hand with a pen on top of a piece of paper, the contour of the hand appears like a drawing. Then he can put some color in it and the professors are kind of impressed. If instead a kid draws his hand by copying it and coloring it relatively well, the drawing is passed around as if they are in the presence of a real young artist!

This fact, in any other part of the world, is considered... NORMAL, not special! But here, that kid is the new Michelangelo!

So, to make my point, if one morning you enter the room of your kid and you see painted on the ceiling a copy of the Sistine Chapel, that kid is the new Michelangelo and not the one that just draws his hand decently!

I think that this is happening because in this country, which by the way, not to be misunderstood, I LOVE IT, there is the absence of a good comparison with what should be considered BEAUTIFUL for real.

Of course, if instead of entering the Sistine Chapel, you can only go to the Coit Tower with the images painted by various local artists, it's impossible to make comparisons with the Renaissance Masters as Michelangelo, Leonardo, Rafael and so on.

The few times I visited the Legion of Honor museum, even during the weekend, I rarely saw Americans instead of tourists from other Countries.

So, in conclusion, instead of expecting that, in a few hundred years, "appreciation of beauty" will be introduced in the schools of this Country, try to travel more across the ocean, not necessarily in Italy, bring your kids not only to beaches or restaurants and show them what is beautiful for real.

And, next time you're in a great restaurant, instead of eating as fast as possible and putting the remainder in a box (!!!!), enjoy the flavors and tastes by chewing slowly and explaining to your kids that someone studied years and worked for hours to prepare that masterpiece that you put in your mouths. It's not just like a hamburger and fries that should be heated as fast as possible!

Thank you for reading!

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