I think I have the presumption, however deservedly, to know the artist – even before the man – Italo Corrado after years of wonderful human and work experiences always lived by his side. In fact, there are strong, noble and penetrating vibrations of the soul, I would dare to say so intense even for the primordial means of communication such as the word – or the writing – which risk appearing to be restrictive with respect to the overflowing human power of being. In the specific case, of being Italo. A versatile artist, bewildered, talented, sensitive, shrewd, meticulous, veiled by that healthy creative madness that allows him to go beyond, raising his life among the elegant paths of art, considered – first of all – as a synonym of “natural salvation” with respect to the dryness of the human being. Thus, as a natural consequence, paintings of undisputed artistic value arise from this “squall” of emotions, from this continuous daily battle between his noble picturesque mind and the inadequacy of today’s society.

Corrado, graduated with full marks at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in Milan at the court of the most famous masters and professors of the sector, represents in fact the perfect synthesis between academic study and natural talent, an essential combination for any human success.

The traits that I most admire of his sunny character are his positivity, the light and his incredible speed in incorporating the visual message and then transmitting it onto the canvases, a lightning-fast inspiration that a chosen few – kissed by the natural gift – are allowed to have. Alongside this, inevitably, lies the rational counterweight of the “existential hardship” that grips and unites all the greatest artists, almost as if it were an undeserved guilt to enjoy all these inner benefits, especially in the eyes of a world based exclusively on the cold mathematical calculation.

All this “existential baggage” has allowed Italo to achieve important results not only in the field of painting, but also in the theatrical field as an actor and set designer where he has excellently measured himself with the most important Italian actors.

Finally, prestigious are his personal exhibitions – also considering the young age of the artist – set up in famous architectural contexts of northern Italy and nearby Switzerland (among which we must mention Lugano, Locarno, Milan and the enchanting tourist centers of Luino and Stresa on Lake Maggiore), in addition to the Teatro Giuditta Pasta of Saronno, of which Corrado was also vice-chairman.

My invitation therefore is to read in his works the strength of the image that I have tried to describe in this brief preface, with the hope that Corrado’s passion for art and painting will never abandon him. And I’m sure it won’t.

Francesco Pellicini
Artistic director