WILSON, N.C. — March 1, 2024 — Barton College and The Barton Art Galleries is pleased to announce the return of artist Enzo Torcoletti as the spring artist-in -residence. “Unedited,” an exhibition of sculpture and drawings by Torcoletti, will open on Thursday, March 14, from 5-7 p.m., with a gallery talk by the artist at 6 p.m. The exhibition will run from March 14 through April 19.
As the spring artist-in-residence from March 11 through March 23, Torcoletti will work with Barton College ceramics students, area high school and middle school students, and he also will offer two Saturday Community Workshops on March 16 and March 23, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. There is no workshop cost for Barton College Friends of Visual Arts (FOVA) members. The cost is $40 per person for non-members. Participants should plan to bring a bagged lunch. Reservations are required, and space is limited. For additional information or to reserve a space at one or both workshops, please contact Maureen O’Neill, Director of Exhibitions and Educational Programming, Barton Art Galleries, at 252-399-6476.
Artist’s Statement —
Sculpturally and graphically, throughout my artistic career, I have been primarily involved with the historical, mythological, and symbolic implications of the human figure, especially the female form.
I delight in all forms of figurative sculpture and borrow freely from all past and current figurative images. Primitive fetishes, Cycladic idols, Greek deities, Renaissance Madonnas, contemporary movie stars, fashion models, and matrons are equally involved in my compositions. I think of my work as a mixture of magical reincarnations of images from the past, rendered in a new fashion with new technology and contemporary design concepts.
The sculptures, whatever their size or configuration, attest to my fascination with the variety that can be achieved within the confines set by the human form and the medium used. It is always my intent to create works that highlight the medium and transport the viewers from past to present to immediate future by engaging their imagination and their intellect.
As a final note, I would like to mention that even in my most serious themes, I strive to eliminate the sublime mysteries associated with some ancient sculptural images by distorting, fragmenting, and taming those ancestral relatives into friendly forms that invite the sense of touch.
About the Artist —
Enzo Torcoletti was born in Italy and attended art school there before he moved to Canada where he received a B.A. in English Literature in 1968 and a B.F.A. in Sculpture and Printmaking in 1969 from the University of Windsor. In 1971, he completed his M.F.A. in Sculpture at Florida State University and then moved to St. Augustine, Fla., where he still resides. Currently, he is a Professor Emeritus of Art at Flagler College, where he taught Sculpture, Drawing, and Art History since 1971.
Over the last 45 years, Torcoletti has been deeply involved with drawing, sculpture, exhibits, and commissions. His work has been shown extensively and is included in numerous private and public collections here and abroad. His sculpture has been featured in several publications including “The Sculpture Reference Book” and two other textbooks on Sculpture by Arthur Williams.
Torcoletti has completed a number of commissions in a variety of media. His latest commissioned projects include a 2,500 lb. marble, stainless steel, and granite outdoor sculpture for the St. Augustine Art Association; a 15 ft. bronze and marble commission for the Baptist Medical Center Lobby in Jacksonville, Fla, and a 10 ft. marble sculpture for the I.R.S. Customer Service Center in Chamblee, Ga., which was commissioned by the General Services Administration. Earlier commissions include a 40 ft., 50-ton granite sculpture for The Koger Center in Jacksonville, Fla., and a similar one for Kings Hill in Kent, England.
Torcoletti’s sculptures are also included in the collections of The Mint Museum, The Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art, The Cummer Museum of Art, The Florida National Guard, Bell South, Bank of America, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Denison University, and numerous other private collections.
During the last several years, Torcoletti has directed his energies primarily to ceramic sculpture and divides his time between his studios in Saint Augustine, Fla., and Italy.
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