Polvara, Giuseppe

POLVARA, GIUSEPPE. - Painter and architect, b. at Pescarenico (Lecco) on 23 Nov. 1884, d. at Milan on 20 Feb. 1950. Ordained a priest in 1909, he assumed the direction of the journal Arte cristiana in 1918; in 1920 he earned a degree in architecture at Bologna; in 1921, with a few courageous companions, he founded the Scuola superiore d'arte cristiana "Beato Angelico" (v.), alongside which, at his wish, other works were established (assistance to artists, to models, a school of sacred music, a publishing house); in 1934 he drafted the first statute of the religious family "Beato Angelico."

Of his many works, the following should be remembered: Domus Dei, Milan 1929; Architettura razionale, ibid. 1933; Manuale di disegno, ibid. 1936-42; Trattazione teorico-pratica di principi estetici, ibid. 1936-42. He also cooperated actively with the journals he directed: Arte Cristiana, Theatrica, Marta and Maria, L'amico dell'arte cristiana, earning appreciation as an art critic and theater critic. The decoration of the church of Angera and that of the chapel of the sisters of the college of Saronno are his. Buildings constructed ex novo: the headquarters of the "Beato Angelico" school, the churches of S. Maria Beltrade, SS. Naborre e Felice, S. Vito, Gratosoglio in Milan; S. Edoardo in Busto; S. Carlo and Cederna in Monza, etc.

Gaetano Banfi