Casabianca Square

A square with sculptures “an plen air”

by Manuel Pavanello

There are works of art of all kinds, shapes, sizes and materials.

Some of these are immediately understandable as they faithfully reproduce an element of reality, but others are just abstract. Some of these are so well integrated into the urban context that they are not even noticeable at first glance. Let’s take as a striking example what happens in Casabianca square, located along via Bafile, a stone’s throw from the central square piazza Brescia.

Let’s start with the two very special sculptures “Generation” and “New Bonds”, both made of iron respectively made in 1967 and the second in 1969. Even though the respective descriptive plates give only scanty information limited to the title, year of manufacture and material, there is also a reference to the Simon Benetton Museum for the authorship of the sculptures. The lack of description is very often done intentionally when we talk about abstract art because the author wants the observer to make an intellectual effort regarding interpretation. This is precisely the intention.

Much more classical and carved in white marble is the memorial stone that pays homage to the Jesolo coat of arms, a dragon with bat wings inside a shield surmounted by a “turreted” crown. Although sculpted in 2000, it has a much more antiqued aspect thanks to the lichens on the top; they seem to be placed there on purpose!

The most recent work (for now) placed in the square is the one created in 2012 by the artist Carlo Pecorelli in treated steel. The subject is the “Spider Athena”, a recurring protagonist in myths and legends. The best known interpretations such as that of Christianity attribute a negative value to the spider, but in other cultures the same arachnid is a symbol of creation and hard work. In fact, this little animal finely weaves its intricate web, symbol of life, with its 8 legs that never stay still. In popular culture, a similar industriousness has been condensed in the proverb “Spider brings profit” in reference to this positive value. Indeed, Native Americans revered the spider as they considered it a creator deity of the universe itself.