Giovanni Crisostomo

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Giovanni Crisostomo was born in Palermo in 1940.He spent his childhood and early adolescence in Marsala where he attended elementary and middle school at the Salesians.This was a very significant period of his training both because he approached music with the study of violin, and because of the proximity to the sea, a theme often present in his work. In fact, he lived in a large house in front of the island of Mozia and often in his memories come back the long summers spent on the beach swimming and fishing in the company of his beloved brother. He moved with his family to Corleone, attended the classical high school and at the age of fourteen he began to paint following Leo Castro who loved to worl “en plein air”. Leaving Corleone for Catania, here he studied painting with Remo Gerevini and drawing with Nunzio Sciavarello. At the same time, a strong interest in music was born, which resulted in an in-depth study of Flamenco guitar, thanks to a spanish girl who gave him a 45 rpm record with flamenco songs performed by the artist Nino Riccardo. The interest inthese new rythms leads him to Spain in search of musical scores, practically impossible to find in Italy where that type of music was combined with gypsy tradition. As a Flamenco guitarist he will perform in numerous evenings in the Roman Clubs “Folk Studio” and “Il Nocciolo” and hold several concerts in Milan at the “Sala della Stampa” and in Padua at the “Sala dei Giganti”. At the beginning of the ‘60s he moved to Rome and enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts where he studied painting with Luigi Montanarini and Alessandro Trotti and set design with Peppino Piccolo. In the early 1970s he moved to live in Paris where he studied drawing with the sculptor Bernard Citroën and frequented the studio of Orfeo Tamburi. In Paris he continues to cultivate his passion for flamenco and plays in famous clubs such as “Le Lapin agile”, “Au port du salut”and “Chez le Catalan”. After the three years spent in Paris, he returned to Italy, alternating periods in Rome with others in Umbria, and then moved permanently in the early ‘80s to the Umbrian countryside near Monte Castello di Vibio (Perugia), where he actually lives and works.

  • Giovanni Crisostomo vita
  • Giovanni Crisostomo vita
  • Giovanni Crisostomo vita
  • Giovanni Crisostomo vita
  • Giovanni Crisostomo vita

Characteristics and artistic qualities

Giovanni Crisostomo is an artist who blends painting with a continuous pursuit of knowledge and deep reflection on life. His art conveys an extraordinary lightness, a quality that allows him to dissolve the rigidity of reality and restore an essential balance, as if every element were equally significant. His painting stands out for its speed and expressive agility, where each image, despite its simplicity, is charged with symbolic power and connected to an invisible network of meanings.

The quality of precision, another fundamental value, is present in his works, which visibly connect the present and the absent, creating subtle bridges between emotions, memories, and desires. Crisostomo's art is not a conceptual exercise but a way of being, transforming painting into an act of introspection and connection with the world.

General Archive of the works of Giovanni Crisostomo

VIEW THE OFFICIAL ARCHIVE

The implementation of the General Archive of the works of Giovanni Crisostomo aims to enhance the original artistic production of the Maestro. The General Archive is implemented and managed by the cultural association ”Italian Art Masters Promotion“ and consists of a structured collection of works in a Digital Archive published online. The Archive is managed by a Committee of Experts, authorized by the Maestro, which also acts in the interest of collectors in response to their reports and verification requests. The Archive collects requests from collectors with material and information related to the works in order to verify their originality and proceed with their inclusion in the Official Digital Archive of the Maestro.

For each of the original works, an identifying position is assigned in the archive, a certificate of authentication is issued, and the work is published on the digital portal of the archive. We invite all collectors to help implement the archive and to report their requests to us. The ”Italian Art Masters Promotion“ Association aims to protect, safeguard, and promote the artistic production of Giovanni Crisostomo. The Committee of Experts is chaired by the Maestro's partner, Prof. Renata Lipparoni.

The association is the exclusive holder of all rights related to the management of the General Archive of Giovanni Crisostomo, the promotion of his production, and the publication of content and images of his works.

                          Prof. Renata Lipparoni

           President of the cultural association

           ITALIAN ART MASTERS PROMOTION

 

The images collected on the site of Giovanni Crisostomo's works are the exclusive property of the ”Italian Art Masters Promotion“ Association, which holds the exclusive reproduction rights.

 

Regulations - How to submit an Archiving Requests

The inclusion in the General Archive of one or more works attributable to Giovanni Crisostomo can only be requested digitally by following the instructions indicated on this site, by filling out the online form and sending the material: documents, content, photographic images in digital format. The committee of experts of the General Archive Giovanni Crisostomo expresses its opinion regarding the inclusion of the work in the Archive exclusively based on the examination of the received material. The quality of the photographs, the accuracy, and completeness of the documentation are therefore fundamental to proceed with the issuance of the opinion. It is therefore required to strictly adhere to the regulations and instructions for the preparation of the material files to be sent. The committee reserves the right to carry out a direct analysis of the work if it deems that the data at its disposal are not sufficient to formulate an opinion. In such cases, the Archive will agree on an appointment with the collector or applicant.

Archiving requests for works in the Archive can be submitted to the committee of experts only if complete documentation and professional-quality photographic files are provided.

Opinion of the Committee of Experts

The opinion expressed by the committee of experts of the Archive is determined based on the current knowledge acquired regarding the artistic production of Giovanni Crisostomo and may be modified at the discretion of the Archive in the case of significant objective and documented elements that have emerged. Each opinion on the inclusion of the work in the Archive will be given unanimously by the members of the committee of experts of the Archive and signed by the President of the association. Within 2 months following the examination session, the applicant will receive the committee's opinion, which may contain the inclusion number in the Archive or a brief negative opinion on the inclusion.

To initiate the evaluation of archiving requests, it is necessary to pay by bank transfer, as a lump-sum reimbursement for the expenses incurred and the activities carried out, the amount corresponding to the type of work, as indicated in the cost table published here. A single cumulative payment can be made for multiple requests made in sequence. Even if the submitted works are not deemed to meet the necessary requirements for inclusion in the General Archive of Giovanni Crisostomo, the payment is non-refundable. The issuance of the opinion constitutes an intellectual service under articles 2230 and following of the Civil Code.

Costs for the Request for an Opinion for the Inclusion of the Work in the General Archive

- Mixed techniques on canvas/board or on paper applied to canvas/board: €100

- Mixed techniques on paper (excluding works mounted on a frame): €50

Technical Report on the Work

The technical reportcan be requested in addition to the opinion for the inclusion of the work in the Archive. If the applicant wishes to obtain a technical report on the work that details the technical-scientific and historical reasons underlying the issuance of the opinion, an explicit request must be made by paying the corresponding amount, in addition to that for the management of the archiving request. The Giovanni Crisostomo Archive does not provide economic estimates of the works nor their sale.

Costs for the Technical Report on the Work

- Additional documentation to the opinion for the Inclusion in the Archive (provided only upon request): €1,000.

Inclusion of the Work in the General Archive of Giovanni Crisostomo

If deemed suitable by the committee of experts, the work will be included in the General Archive of Giovanni Crisostomo with a unique inclusion number and a certificate of authenticity that will be sent to the applicant along with the opinion result. In the event of a transfer to a new owner of the work already included in the Archive, to maintain a unique tracking of the work, it is necessary to request the data change in the Archive database by filling out the appropriate form. In this way, the Giovanni Crisostomo Archive will be able to contact the new owner to request the loan of the work for any future events, exhibitions.

The Archive reserves all rights to reproduce images of the work itself. The work will also be published in the General Archive where it will be possible to verify the inclusion number in the Archive that has been assigned to it. The work's card, published in the Digital Catalog, will include summary indications on the ownership in accordance with what is requested in the archiving request form, particularly under the ”Ownership Indications“ section (Private collection, Collector's Name and Surname, or other).

Procedure for the Archiving Request

To initiate the request for an opinion for the Inclusion of the work in the Archive, it is necessary to send the Giovanni Crisostomo Archive the duly completed online form, followed by the documentation and materials listed on this page.

List and Preparation of Materials

Immediately after completing and sending the Request Form, it is necessary to send via the Wetransfer service the files listed below relating to the documentation and photographs of the work. To ensure that the request for inclusion in the Archive of the work can be examined, it is essential to provide images and files of the highest quality.

Documents

    • Any previous certifications and provenance documents
    • If there is a certificate of authenticity signed by the Artist, send the image of the front and back
    • Receipt of the bank transfer to be made in favor of:
      • Associazione Italian Art Masters Promotion
      • La Cassa di Ravenna
      • IBAN for EU transactions: IT25N0627003200CC0730319207
      • IBAN for non-EU transactions: IT25N0672003200CC0730319207
      • SWIFT/BIC: CRRAIT2RXXX
      • Indicate in the reason the name and surname of the applicant if different from the person making the transfer. A single cumulative payment can be made for multiple requests.

Color Photographs of the Work
The following photographs must be sent:

      • - Front of the work including the frame
      • - Back of the work where the entire frame is clearly visible
      • - Enlarged detail of the signature and/or inscriptions, stamps, friezes if present on the back of the work
      • In case the signature or autograph inscriptions are on the back, the enlarged detail of the signature or inscriptions

Technical Requirements for Each Photographic File:

      • - Shot taken in very high definition with professional lighting
      • - Minimum resolution of 300 dpi
      • - TIFF, JPG, JPEG format with minimal compression and maximum quality

Sending the Request

To send the request for inclusion of the work in the Archive, follow the steps described below.

      • - Download the paper form (form) available on the site
      • - Fill out the form: enter all the requested information in the appropriate fields. Sign the form in the spaces indicated.
      • - Send to the email address archiviazioni.crisostomo@iamp.it via the Wetransfer service (or similar) all the required files: the completed and signed form, photographic images, copy of the transaction with the bank transfer details, and any other digital content
      • - Wait for the communication of the opinion. The Giovanni Crisostomo Archive will communicate the opinion to the applicant within 2 months following the examination session of the committee of experts via email. The Archive will not respond to emails requesting information or anticipations regarding the opinion result.

The Giovanni Crisostomo Archive is not open to the public. Please also do not send reminders or requests for information regarding the status of the archiving and wait for the official communication which is usually sent within 2 months following the examination session.

Critical texts

  • The textural and colorist painter Giovanni Crisostomo traces worlds where the timeline seems to suspend itself in fragmented scenes, snapshots of life taken from memories of Calvinian tales. The fragmentation of the sign, the backgrounds of strong colors moderate geometries that are clustered sometimes releasing rhythms and figurative alliterations.

    Crisostomo’s work read by a Berliner
    Engelbert Kremser

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  • The city of Todi celebrates Giovanni Crisostomo, a Sicilian artist who has lived and worked here since the early 1980s, when he chose the Umbrian countryside after multiple experiences between Rome and Paris. The exhibition is a concise anthology that traverses the main thematic cycles with large-format works and some serial groupings, offering a path tailored to the exhibition space, according to a logic that makes the Sala delle Pietre the fusion link between the measure of an anthology and the city of Todi with its history of great contemporary artists.

    The city of Todi celebrates Giovanni Crisostomo
    Gianluca Marziani

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  • The recovery of the myth made by Giovanni Crisostomo in his paintings is perhaps the element that most surprises and fascinates us about this artist. Far from being resolved in a purely nostalgic glance towards the past, the almost archaic suggestions that transpire from his balanced and serene compositions are more living and real symbols of a present that should already be part of our daily life if we only knew how to experience it.

    The myth in Giovanni Crisostomo
    Gian Roberto Ricciulli

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  • Looking at the best expression of italian and european art through the eyes of Giovanni Crisostomo is a unique experience. This is one of the reasons for which, with great entusiasm, i am promoting the presentation of his work with this important exibition, that selects paintings coming from 30 years, a very fertile period for the artist, along a time frame that runs from the ’60 to the late ’80 of the twentieth century.

    GIOVANNI CRISOSTOMO: 1960 – 1990
    Paola Valori / Micro Arti Visive

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  • This exhibition is based on a collection of works of Giovanni Crisostomo dating back to the period from the 1960s to the late 1980s of the last century. The considerable number of paintings, come mainly from private collections, thus providing a very important reference for understanding the path of his production along three decades of the 20th century.

    Exibition of Giovanni Crisostomo – Paintings of the period 1960 – 1990
    Renata Lipparoni

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  • Being able to say in a few words what you think about a person is always difficult: as a result there are so many values that identifying them is already complex, then trying to judge them is a problem especially for the work of a painter. Ernst H. Gombrich, when reflecting on Cézanne and his cerebral drama made up of reconciling concepts of antinomy with the harmony of the classical order and the modernity discovered by the Impressionists, argues that if Cézanne had been a mathematician he would not have found the solution to his problem, but he is a painter and therefore after a life of work, he manages to reach his goal.

    Between literature and painting
    Silvana Toppetti

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  • Getting to know Giovanni Crisostomo has represented for me a discovery, before his talent, of his human qualities, in harmony with those of his partner Renata and with the magical place where for years both have chosen to live. A house in the middle of the woods, which can be reached after traveling a road that crosses the beautiful countryside around Todi, from the fascinating natural beauty that today, as in the past, many artists have chosen as a place to live;

    The Path of Giovanni Crisostomo
    Silvia Blasio

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  • In 1985 Italo Calvino assembled and organised an extraordinary series of disquisitions for the Charles Eliot Norton Poetry Lectures at Harvard University, about “some values, qualities or specialities of literature” that he considered fundamental and therefore to be saved and relocated for the next millennium. This is how some pages of memorable beauty were written, about lightness, rapidity, accuracy, visibility and multiplicity.

    A few thoughts regarding some important qualities of painting
    Silvia Grassi Pottino

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Exhibitions