|
 The
“Ceramiche Solimene Arte e Tradizione Vietrese” Firm srl was founded
by four brothers whose greatest willingness was to go on with a
century-old family tradition.
Our history has its
beginning with great-grandfather Vincenzo (1876-1958), known as
“cupaiuolo” because of his great ability to mould at the potter’s
wheel really quickly. The master-potter Raffaele Apicella, known as
Filuccio, remembers him like that: “ …I remember a man with a large
moustache and authoritarian face and tone… he was so fast at the
potter’s wheel that his three assistants found it difficult to
follow him. He never stopped… at the end of the day he looked like a
clay statue”.
His son, Francesco
(1912-1979) known as Ciccio, followed in his footsteps. Unlike his
father, grandfather Ciccio had an artistic sense so striking that he
was considered the forerunner of the futurist art. He started
working with his father since he was very young and then devoted all
his life to the turning.
My father always tells
me that my grandfather was a man of few words who liked neither to
attract attention nor to talk about himself. My father remembers an
event with great pleasure which can make you understand how much the
turning was important for my grandfather. One day he went at his
in-laws house after a working-day with a potter’s wheel and there he
kept on shaping and moulding all night long.
He refined his art
in Florence where Max Malamerson wanted him to work at the
“Cantagalli” ceramics firm. His work was a continuous evolution. His
outstanding creative changeability brought him to realize shapes and
colours which belong not only to the history of the ceramics of
Vietri but also to the history of art.
His great art
revealed itself
 also
through his ability of creating shapes with marvellous glassy
reflections. Owing to his glaze technique, he was conferred the name
of “dull and transparent Mediterranean blue potter”. Unfortunately
his passion caused him a serious illness. Nevertheless my father
remembers he worked trembling at the potter’s wheel moulding with
such a great precision that everyone was astonished. Unfortunately
someone took advantage of his efforts and sacrifices, besmirching
his work as well. However his memory still lives! My father has kept
on working in a big ceramics firm for many years and we
grandchildren have founded a small firm with great passion in memory
of grandfather Ciccio.
We intend to propose a
revised “classic art of Vietri” and a new line born from the
experience of two young artists who worked in the artistic ceramics
trade since they were children. Our path intends to explore the
wonderful world of ceramics in order to realise articles
representing histories and experiences of life.
Through our work,
we would like to pass on the purchaser a piece of our history
plunging him in the ancient tradition of the artistic ceramics of
Vietri. At last our customer will become “entangled” in the clay and
the colours, taking part of our history. |
