Of vindictive letters and artist’s lights
Galleria civica d’arte moderna e contemporanea di Torino (GAM Torino)
The Turin Civic Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art began as part of the Museo Civico, which was originally founded in 1863.
The collections were separated into “ancient” and “modern” with the former being housed in the Palazzo Madama and the latter in a building on the same site as the current structure, which was destroyed during WWII. The new building, designed by Carlo Bassi and Goffredo Boschetti, was inaugurated in 1953.
When I visited, the GAM was hosting an exhibition around the work of Francesco Hayez, a 19th century painter from Venice who spent most of his career in Milan. He was important within the Romanticism movement, and is mostly known for his historical paintings, political allegories, and portraits.
The Revenge Triptych is a set of three paintings created by Hayez: Vengeance is Sworn, Secret Accusation, and Revenge of a Rival or The Venetian Woman.
Vengeance is Sworn was the second painting to be completed (in 1851), though it depicts the first scene: Maria, the central figure, with her friend Rachel, who advises her to take revenge on her lover for his betrayal by denouncing him publicly.
Secret Accusation was painted in 1847-1848, and depicts Maria posting the anonymous letter that will denounce her lover.
The third painting, Revenge of a Rival or The Venetian Woman, is unfortunately lost, but it is known to depict Maria regretting her actions and attempting to stop her letter from being delivered.
While I visited Turin in early December, these are actually not meant to be Christmas lights. These are, instead, part of an annual city-wide exhibition called Luci d’Artista, or Artist’s Lights.
It was created by the City of Turin in 1998, with the intent to have art inhabit the streets of the city and be shared by the public. The lights go up as early as October, and remain in place until early February, making the dark autumn and winter nights just a tiny bit more magical.
Gold Colored Fox 