BISTOLFI, LEONARDO. - Sculptor, b. at Casale Monferrato on 14 March 1859, d. at Turin on 2 Oct. 1933. From a naturalistic training he passed to an idealization of reality inspired by the sinuous elegances of the Art Nouveau style and, especially in his bas-reliefs, showed a sensibility more pictorial than plastic. Even when he tackled monumental themes (the Cross for the Orsini tomb) at Staglieno (Genoa), the monument to Segantini at S. Maurizio and that to Carducci at Bologna, he rarely achieved the necessary plastic and architectural synthesis. His works of sacred art, such as the Crucifix for the Brayda tomb at Villarbasse (1901), which, because of its arms not perfectly outstretched, was accused of Jansenism, give the impression that he somehow remained outside the strict tradition of Catholic art. His output, in any case, by a certain spiritualistic vein, stands in open contrast with the materialistic taste then widespread.
He was a senator of the Kingdom and held important public offices.
Bibliography9 worksL. Motta Ciaccio, s. v. in Thieme-Becker, IV, pp. 69-71 (with bibl.); U. Ojetti, L. B., in Ritratti d'artisti italiani, Milan 1911, pp. 127-
BIBL.: L. Motta Ciaccio, s. v. in Thieme-Becker, IV, pp. 69-71 (with bibl.); U. Ojetti, L. B., in Ritratti d'artisti italiani, Milan 1911, pp. 127-41; L. B. (so tavolo), ibid. 1912; K. Parker, L. B., in Art in America, 11 (1923), pp. 260-68; A. Gigliotti d'Andrea, L. B. nelle sue ultime concezioni artistiche, in Emporium, 57 (1923), pp. 240-48; V. Falletti, L. B., il Maestro del sentimento, in Torino, 10 (1933), pp. 39-40; E. Marchetti, L'arte di L. B., in Marmi, Pietro, Graniti, 5 (1933), pp. 3-10; E. Mazzucco, Per L. B., in Alexandria, 2 (1934), pp. 242-44; A. Biancotti, Il Cristo nell'arte di L. B., ibid., 6 (1938), pp. 109-14.
Mezzana, Corrado. “Bistolfi, leonardo.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. II, col. 1680. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1949. https://azioneromana.com/article/bistolfi-leonardo.
MLA
Mezzana, Corrado. “Bistolfi, leonardo.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. II, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1949, col. 1680. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/bistolfi-leonardo.
BibTeX
@incollection{ec2_bistolfi_leonardo,
author = {Mezzana, Corrado},
title = {Bistolfi, leonardo},
booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
volume = {II},
pages = {1680},
note = {Cited by column},
publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
address = {Città del Vaticano},
year = {1949},
url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/bistolfi-leonardo}
}
One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.
Click or scroll to zoom · drag to pan · Esc to close
