Giorgio Carmelich (Trieste 1907 - Bad Nauheim 1929)

Trieste, submerged in a rearguard context where the nineteenth-century pictorical influence predominates, between 1929 and 1931, is subject to the lost of three crutial figures of the twentieth-century: Enrico Fonda, Vittorio Bolaffio and just Giorgio Carmelich.

During the first postwar years, the very young Carmelich plays a determining role to renew the pictorical Julian environment. He sets a Modernity steady search, influenced by the newest European proposals against the Symbolism waste and the slightly emphasized importance of colours according to the local interpretations.

The first leg of his education starts supporting the 2^nd generation Julian and Isontino Futurism groups.

Afterwards, about mid-decade, Carmelich works on static compositions following the cubist and the Feininger's attitude trends (e.g. "Bottles", 1925 c.a.,).

Finally, after the transfer to Prague dated 1928, he seems to be magnetized by the surrealistic suggestions (The Ice-cream trolley of 1928 is inspired by Chagall and the "wonder" of Rousseau The Surveyor's works as well).

This unquiet artist is not much inclined to submit to the Academy teaching.

Notwithstanding his unsuccessful attempt to attend the Faculty of Architecture in Turin, Rome, Venice and Prague, he proves to be a crutial figure in the 3^rd decade Julian panorama.

Carmelich sets himself against to the national rethoric winning line and the return of the autochthonous tradition of the Museum rediscovery.

On the contrary, he thinks about the historical avant-garde internationalism and shifts one?s interest to the updating channels, labelled as "unorthodox" and "questionable of anti-Italian spirit" by the official criticism.

(from the North German world of Grosz to the tangency despite some changes of mind -, to the East-Europe Julian Constructuralism; finally, to the study of the modernist results achieved by the figurative search of the Parisian surroundings).

Lorenzo Nuovo