A colorful character A colorful character (May 23, 2003)

Painter John Mancini finds inspiration in the hills of Italy

by Marge Speidel

Vividly painted landscapes in primary colors almost leap out at the viewer from the white walls.

The venue is Gallery Europa in downtown Palo Alto, which is currently showcasing the works of Italian-born John Mancini. Now in his late 70s, the San Mateo resident is still producing about 50 paintings a year.

Mancini's distinctive landscapes are of brilliant reds, yellows and oranges, browns, the deepest of greens and blues -- the colors he sees in frequent visits to the Tuscan hills of Italy. Backgrounds may be gently curving hillsides, or flat horizons represented by a bold swath of color. Isolated buildings, trees, a meandering road, a blue background that could be interpreted as sky or sea, a plowed field -- all are common elements in his work. There are no human figures. All of the works are expressed in a surreal style that is uniquely his.

"I paint from ideas," Mancini said in a recent interview at the gallery. "If I don't have a good one, I don't paint. Some artists paint every day because Picasso said you should. I don't. But I believe that if you paint often, the ideas come very easily.

"As a young man in Sicily I traveled to Florence often and studied the great paintings of the Renaissance," he continued. "Most all were of figures. But I became interested in the details in the background. Landscape painting was not yet recognized, not until the British painters of the 18th century."

David Himmelberger, co-owner of Gallery Europa, saw a Mancini painting at a gallery in San Francisco 14 years ago.

"I bought it right away, and it's been a love affair ever since. This is the fifth solo exhibit of his work we've had in six years," Himmelberger said.

"Island of Tranquility," part of the current 32-work exhibit, depicts a house and three densely spaced cypress trees that seem to float mysteriously above the blue waters below.

Critics have noted the feeling of lonely space in Mancini's paintings. Some comment on the unusual perspective, which has the viewer seeing the painting as if from a strange height.

"Much is left to the viewer's imagination," Himmelberger said. "In the large painting called 'Melancholic Reflections,' a strip of red and orange buildings is set against a green sky. The lower half of the painting, in vivid blues, reflects the buildings -- or does it? A lone white spire in the reflection doesn't appear in the buildings above. And is that the sun in the sky? Or the moon? What about the horizon? It's lower on the left side of the painting than the right.

"An Italian landscape in John's style will have buildings coming out of trees with a surreal blue background. He takes the spires and towers of Tuscany, the old medieval walls, and interprets them in his own way. They become powerful structures," Himmelberger said.

Bob Arnold of Palo Alto acquired a Mancini painting more than 30 years ago.

"My late wife, Peg, and I bought it at a gallery on Hamilton Avenue. We were attracted by the colors -- a farm scene in oranges and greens. It's been hanging in the living room ever since. Obviously it's still enjoyed."

Another collector who moved from Palo Alto to Newport Beach planned his new home around seven of Mancini's paintings, according to Himmelberger. One of the pieces, entitled "Western Vision No. 12," is full of bold orange colors and is immediately visible to anyone who passes through the home's courtyard.

"It always stops people in their tracks," Himmelberger said of the work.

Mancini's roots in Sicily help define his work. He began studying at art schools there at age 17. At 18, he was commissioned to paint panels at the church in Comiso, Sicily. The panels are still there.

In 1951 he came to New York, studying at Columbia University and the Art Students' League. But New York didn't offer the warm and vivid hues he needed for inspiration. After a brief period in Miami, he came to California in 1958. From early work as a commercial artist and later, doing technical drawings at NASA-Ames in Mountain View, came the geometric forms that shape his paintings.

Mancini, who has lived in San Mateo for 40 years and has his studio there, returns to Italy every other year for inspiration. He views himself as a colorist.

"This is something you are born with," he said. "You can't become a good colorist. The Venetian painters, Titian and Tintoretto -- their colors are the best. There are good artists from the north of Europe -- Germany, Denmark, and Sweden, but to me they are not colorists because they don't have the colors to work from. Italian and Spanish painters have the right weathe."r

On the other hand, he said, design can be learned.

"You need it to produce a good painting, but it's something you can work with and improve. I work from pen and ink sketches that change as I go along."

What: "Spatial Forms," an exhibit of oil paintings by John Mancini.

Where: Gallery Europa, 535 Bryant St. in Palo Alto

When: Through May 30. The gallery is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

Cost: Admission is free.

Info: Call (650) 473-6522 or visit www.galleryeuropa.com