CELEBRATORY PARADE

BILL NEWMAN has been to the 2001 Spoleto Festival
and reports on his impressions of the surroundings,
local artists and international music-making

<< Continued from last week

2. THE ART PERSONALITIES

Painters form a crucial part of the Festival scene. Walk around the winding streets and you are enticed into various galleries exhibiting work by local artists. The profusion of colours stimulates the imagination, favourably or otherwise. Their hopeful creators stand outside, or by the large tables with piles of catalogues, all eagerly awaiting the emergence of chequebooks and credit cards.

Looming large, impervious to the sharp breezes that brought welcome relief to relaxed drinkers outside Tric Trac, was a poster that displayed an unusual female figure, one-eyed but of enormous potential. A musician undeniably, with hands 'directing' the colourful, rhythmic sounds that emerge from elongated trumpets in various directions towards a mottled marble backwash of bold browns and oranges that feature birds in various flight positions. At the base, her feet are encased in a bridge-like structure that flows upwards -- not unlike the Eiffel Tower, but full of colour and movement.

Massive shades were being erected while we sat imbibing. Suddenly a large character, hands on hips, appeared behind Edmund and myself. I thought he was in charge of the workmen busily securing the large canvases for the exhibition. No, Victor Bussoletti was there to encourage sales -- 'You lika my painting, you come tonight? We have prosciutto porquetto to eat. We have music, great performers. You have wonderful time, meet everybody. Plenty vino, minerale (gazing at my glass). Edmondo, Bill (giving me a huge hug) -- what time -- what time we expect you?'

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