Gian Alberto Dell'Acqua, critic and art
historian, presenting an exibition on Alessandro Manzoni, in Saronno in
1986, and in his introduction to the monograph " A Tribute to Gino Sandri",
1998, said:
«The drawings he did when confined are excellent proof of his ability. This is without taking into account the impressive vividness of them. I don't know any other artist who is capable of this at the moment, or any other artist at any time for that matter.
Sandri did these drawings while confined in order to exorcise his illness, just as Van Gogh did by painting almost frenetically. When he could Sandri painted not only to help himself to live, but also to console his fellow sufferers.
All together these paintings are unique and without comparison both for the quality of the characters as well as for the spirit of human compassion that comes through.
Italian paintings of the nineteenth and twentieth century have many example of madness, from Sala delle agitate by Telemaco Signorini, to Morocomio by the venetian Silvio Rolla, to Pazza by Giacomo Balla.
None of these however are the result of personal involvement and suffering as Sandri's are. You can feel the total sadness that he is surrounded by . Because of this particolar involvement Sandri has been able to give off his best».
Vittorino Andreoli writes in the introduction to the monograph " Gino Sandri ( 1892-1959), lights of art, shadows of madness ", 2009:
«Gino Sandri lived as if he were dead, now he is dead he must live because he is a great portrait and landscape painter, because he is a mental asylum museum and evidence of the pain of madness and the stupidity of the psychiatrists».
«The drawings he did when confined are excellent proof of his ability. This is without taking into account the impressive vividness of them. I don't know any other artist who is capable of this at the moment, or any other artist at any time for that matter.
Sandri did these drawings while confined in order to exorcise his illness, just as Van Gogh did by painting almost frenetically. When he could Sandri painted not only to help himself to live, but also to console his fellow sufferers.
All together these paintings are unique and without comparison both for the quality of the characters as well as for the spirit of human compassion that comes through.
Italian paintings of the nineteenth and twentieth century have many example of madness, from Sala delle agitate by Telemaco Signorini, to Morocomio by the venetian Silvio Rolla, to Pazza by Giacomo Balla.
None of these however are the result of personal involvement and suffering as Sandri's are. You can feel the total sadness that he is surrounded by . Because of this particolar involvement Sandri has been able to give off his best».
Vittorino Andreoli writes in the introduction to the monograph " Gino Sandri ( 1892-1959), lights of art, shadows of madness ", 2009:
«Gino Sandri lived as if he were dead, now he is dead he must live because he is a great portrait and landscape painter, because he is a mental asylum museum and evidence of the pain of madness and the stupidity of the psychiatrists».