Conferences

A comparison between Giacometti and Domenichino – William Cortes Casarrubios, Scuola Normale Superiore

William Cortes Casarrubios, a scholar from the Scuola Normale Superiore, introduces two great artists: Alberto Giacometti, a leading figure in XX century sculpture, and Domenico Zampieri, a master of XVI century classicism. Two distant worlds that find a point of connection at Galleria Borghese. Alberto Giacometti, one of the key figures of the 20th century, visited the Galleria Borghese at a very young age and was deeply struck by it. It was 1921: he was nineteen, studying art in Rome, and moving from museum to museum with a notebook always under his arm. A simple sketchbook, now preserved in Paris, records his experience step by step. It is a precious document that allows us to follow his gaze as it moves through the galleries, as if we were right there beside him. His journey begins outside, with the façade of the villa, before turning to the life of the park, the people, and the continuous flow of bodies in space. Here we can already glimpse the core of his future research: the human figure captured in motion. Inside the museum, through quick sketches and annotations, what truly fascinates him emerges: not only the most famous masterpieces, but everything that vibrates with energy and presence. Giacometti is captivated by Venetian painting and, above all, by Domenichino’s “Hunt of Diana”. He studies its details, drawn to the tension of the bows, the dynamism of the figures, and the vitality of the bathers. He observes them as if they were living bodies, in dialogue with one another, almost like sculptures in motion. At the same time, he shows a critical attitude toward Bernini, whom he perceives as overly theatrical. He is also deeply interested in Flemish Baroque painting, with its intense colors and highly expressive gestures. This notebook, seemingly simple, in fact tells the story of a decisive moment: the birth of a way of seeing. In its pages, we can already glimpse the artist he would become, and understand how careful observation is the first step in transforming experience into vision. This intervention is part of the Project of Relevant National Interest (PRIN 2022), titled “Galleria Borghese and its publics, 1888–1938,” and was carried out in collaboration with Galleria Borghese.