Edoardo Berta

Edoardo Berta (born March 29, 1867 in Giubiasco ; † July 23, 1931 in Lugano ; resident in Giubiasco) was a Swiss painter , teacher , archaeologist and monument conservator .

life and work

Edoardo Berta was the son of Giovanni Battista Berta and Francesca, née Regli. From 1881 to 1889 he studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera , where he was a student of Giuseppe Bertini and made friends with Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo . He was then from 1889 to 1890 at the Accademia Carrara , where he studied with Cesare Tallone .

From 1888 Berta regularly exhibited his works in Italy and Switzerland. In 1901 and 1909 he took part in the international art exhibition in the Glaspalast in Munich , and in 1920 and 1926 in the Biennale di Venezia . He also exhibited in various art houses in Switzerland.

Berta returned to Ticino in 1893. With Giuseppe Mentessi he restructured the "Ticino drawing schools" and teaches there as a teacher.

Berta's early role model was Cesare Tallone. The detachment from traditional academic painting directed his research towards Divisionism in analogy to Pellizza da Volpedo , Giovanni Segantini , Emilio Longoni and Vittore Grubicy de Dragon . In Ticino, Berta was considered the most prominent representative of Divisionism between 1895 and 1905.

From 1903 Berta worked with Francesco Chiesa and Emilio Motta . He was also on friendly terms with Cuno Amiet and Augusto Giacometti .

Berta worked closely with the Ticino restorers and archaeologists. In 1909 he was appointed to the first cantonal commission for the preservation of historical and artistic monuments. As an archaeologist and restorer, he coordinated various projects in Ticino. He was also a member of the Federal Art Commission from 1912–1915, 1920–1923 and 1928–1930, and from 1915 to 1918 a member of the Swiss Society for Historical Monuments.

Edoardo Berta was of central importance for Ticino's cultural life and is considered one of the most important Ticino painters between the 19th and 20th centuries.

His main work is the picture Funerale bianco ("White Burial", 102 × 231 cm, Municipal Picture Gallery Lugano) created in 1901 , which is still produced today as a poster print.

literature

• Johannes Widmer: Edoardo Berta, the painter of Ticino. In: The Alps. Monthly for Swiss and General Culture Vol. 5, 1910–1911, pp. 483–489 ( digitized version ).
• Arminio Janner: Edoardo Berta. 1867-1931. Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, Zurich 1932. ( New Year's Gazette. Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft ).
• Edoardo Berta (1867-1931). Città di Bellinzona, Bellinzona 2000. (Exhibition catalog: Civica Galleria d'Arte, 31 marzo - 12 giugno 2000; 124 pages).
• Dankmar Trier: Berta, Edoardo . In: General Artist Lexicon . The visual artists of all times and peoples (AKL). Volume 10, Saur, Munich a. a. 1994, ISBN 3-598-22750-7 , p. 35.

Web links

• Giulio Foletti: Edoardo Berta. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . October 10, 2002 , accessed January 17, 2020 .
• Mariangela Agliata Ruggia, Matteo Bianchi: Berta, Edoardo. In: Sikart (as of 1998)