WORK-IN-PROGRESS | FROM THE EDITING ROOM
I am thrilled to share the latest developments in our journey through the world of Attilio Piccirilli and his brothers. Our recent focus has been on "The Outcast," one of Attilio’s masterpieces, a sculpture that continues to inspire.
Some say that "The Outcast," also known as “The Pariah,” examines the overwhelming weight of alienation from the immigrant’s perspective. Others speculate that the sculpture mirrors the artist’s turbulent marriage. There are even whispers of an improbable case of cloistered sexual identity stemming from family rumors and psychological interpretations. Regardless of the motives that may have influenced Attilio's design, what remains undeniable is that this massive sculpture marking the grave of his brother (Oratio) and his descendants, stands as one of Attilio's most remarkable works.
The Outcast by Attilio Piccirilli
In "Attilio Piccirilli: The Italian Factor" (Formerly The Italian Factor), we approach “The Outcast” as an exemplary sculptural work that begins at the Apuan Alps where the marble was mined. In order to bring clarity concerning the excruciating phases in the creative process we follow the move of the immense block through the streets of a local village and onto the interior of the first carving studio in Pietrasanta before the piece is shipped to the Bronx where the final touches take place before The Outcast before is finally delivered to its current site at Woodlawn Cemetery in New York. The sequence you can screen as part of this brief presentation will be expanded in the final film to include narration and additional footage.
“The Outcast”, and the long process that begins with the miners on the mountainside, and the hundreds of men driving the wagon being pulled by oxen through the narrow streets of a mountain village, lead me to believe that the sculptor's role is not to release the angel from the stone as it has often been said, but rather, it is the stone that sets in motion the process that would inspire the creative instinct in the artists. It is always the artist, and the army of men and women standing behind the true force behind its creation. The rock itself has no angel, no spirit, no soul. It's all up to the extraordinary will of the sheer force of the human factor, the creative self of the sculptor, and the prodigy of collaboration. Ultimately, the lifeless stone, ripped from the core of the Apuan Alps, only serves as an obedient medium to express the most delicate of emotions and feelings.
Join us on this journey of discovery
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Thank you!
Eduardo Montes-Bradley
Director