About artist
Claudio Caldana was born in Povegliano Veronese (VR - Italy) on 6 March 1953. He graduated from the Verona Art School and attended the Cignaroli Academy in the same city, taking courses in fresco, encaustic and restoration of wall paintings. An activity and passion that has persisted for 52 years.
The first years were marked by research to find a personal style in which he could recognise and distinguish himself; he experimented with new techniques and the use of various materials: velvet, frescoes, encaustic, gold and light. A theme dear to him is woman in her femininity, he focuses on details, faces, bodies, shapes, shadows. His artistic career developed and then moved on to the informal and conceptual, and for the last 20 years he has dedicated himself to research works, installations and performances. Recently, he has developed a cycle of works called "Materia e Spirito" (Matter and Spirit), created on X-ray plates, which has received much critical acclaim.
Entering the atmosphere of Claudio Caldana's works means entering the most intimate part of ourselves, being able to perceive hidden emotions that are sometimes forgotten. Colour, the material placed on the canvas, becomes the means through which the artist manages to leave the imprints of an inner expressiveness and to create a dialogue between the observer and what is observed. From the centre of the painting there is always a glow of light and a cry of hope, the desire to bring out something of our ego, our thoughts and the deep images of our mind, often dark and gloomy, light that is given by the contrast of tones. White always emerges from the mixture of colours, sometimes dirty, sometimes sharp as human thoughts are sharp or confused. On the white rests the red of passion and energy, the black of fear, the blue of serenity, the yellow of warmth and peace.
Claudio Caldana has always collaborated with galleries, created murals, carried out small restorations and taught students in painting courses and private lessons. For eight years he taught painting and art history at the Verona prison and is often invited to schools to bring his testimony to debates on the values of life.
Over the years Caldana has been able to enrich his curriculum with prestigious awards and more than 200 exhibitions in galleries, historical palaces and foundations. Suffice it to mention the exhibitions in Rome at MACRO, Sala e Chiostro del Bramante, Palazzo Margani, Palazzo della Ragione in Verona, Palazzo Bentivoglio (Fondazione Ligabue) Gualtieri Reggio Emilia, Galleria Arte Moderna in Pisa, GAM in Turin where he won the 3rd absolute prize at the 4th Biennale; he also exhibited at Ca' dei Carraresi Treviso, in Moscow RUSSIA at the State Museum Vernadsckiy with a stay at the House of Nationalities in Moscow. Also in many other places in Italy, Germany, France and various European states.