The Italian Cultural Institute, Los Angeles, presents "Orlando Furioso," an exhibition of forty-six pencil drawings by Paul and Gaëtan Brizzi which capture the spirit of the famous epic work by Italian High Renaissance poet Ludovico Ariosto. The exhibition will open at Spazio Italia (1023 Hilgard Avenue, Westwood) on April 17, 2003, and will be on view through May 9, 2003.

The supernatural and the realistic, the solemn and the comic in Ariosto's poem cast an artistic spell on the Brizzis. Together they approach the poem: weaving their drawing skills together as in a "sonata for four hands," they imbued the visual medium with an immediacy and passion that show the state of childlike fascination with which both artists embraced their literary source. The sixteenth-century epic defies a linear narrative, and the Brizzis let their imaginations run wild in their depictions of heroes, villains, and treacherous monsters; dreadful battles between Christians and Saracens: fiery chilvanic adventures and the passionate romance of Orlando, a paladin at the court of Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor.

The drawings demonstrate the strength of Paul and Gaëtan Brizzi's draftsmanship. A masterly use of chiaroscuro conveys surreal effects to landscapes and architectural compositions; fluid linear movements shape the actions, and a precise design details the rich range of characters filling the spaces. In these most engaging works, the artists' vivid imagery parallels Ariosto's poetic inventions.

Twin brothers born of Italian parents in Paris, France, in 1951, Paul and Gaëtan studied Art at l'École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. They won the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1976 and received the distinction of Chevaliers de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1980. In 1994, the Brizzis came to Los Angeles to work for Disney Feature Animation where they conceived and directed the "Firebird" segment for Fantasia 2000. They are currently Directors of Animation for DreamWorks.

       The exhibition is curated by Giovanna Zamboni-Paulis in collaboration with Italian Heritage Culture Foundation.

       The Italian Cultural Institute's Spazio Italia is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

For more information contact:
The Instituto Italiano di Cultura (IIC)
Email: losangeles@iicusa.org | website: www.iisusa.org

Paul and Gaëtan Brizzi web site:
http://www.artistregister.com/brizzis.html

Selected work from the exhibition