Elso Schiavo: "I have always dealt with critters"

"A little journey through time through the works of Elso Schiavo" is the name of the exhibition at the Schwesternhaus in Baar, which makes the well-known artist and his unmistakable work tangible. The new series of works is surprising – it is both typical and atypical at the same time.

The colorful and experiential motifs from the fantasy world of Elso Schiavo are known far and wide. In addition, his paintings and paintings as art in construction with the fantastic birds, fish creations or ships of fools can be found in the public spaces of the region, including the school buildings in Hünenberg, Allenwinden and Loreto, as well as in the Maihof Zug. And even at the age of 87, he continues to be artistically active, despite age-related restrictions. "I don't need to study for a long time, I paint fast, and as soon as I start, it's OK." Because he finds painting at the easel rather tedious, his wife Anna Marie Arrigoni advised him to sit down at a desk in the new studio and showroom on Steinhauserstrasse in Cham.

This is how the approximately 40 new works drawn with acrylic pencil were created on square cardboard boxes. Most of the pictures of "his fantasy animals", as he says humorously, are drawn in black and white, some have coloured accents. From time to time you can spot an elephant, a cat or a woman behind an animal among the funny birds. The variable design of the motifs is striking, in which the professional illustrator becomes visible. And these pictures with diverse ornamental patterns also radiate Schiavo's fine sense of humour. In the exhibition that starts on 24 September in the Schwesternhaus Baar, this series will be shown together with older works and posters that have received national and international awards. Among them are posters for the Theatergesellschaft Baar as well as the one for Mode Zehnder" from 1972, which is in the graphic collection of the MoMA New York.

Remarkable successes
Elso Schiavo has been artistically active for over half a century. Born in Baar in 1934, his path led him from the monastery school in Einsiedeln to the Lucerne School of Applied Arts, where the well-known painter Max Von Moos worked. After several years in renowned advertising agencies, he opened his own office in Zurich. "Even then, I always painted in my spare time," he says. Success soon followed: he won poster competitions, and his works were exhibited nationally and internationally and awarded several prizes. In September 2003, Elso Schiavo received the Culture Prize of the City of Baar for special services. He is proud to have maintained contact with renowned artists such as Le Corbusier, Varlin, Piatti, Bill and Kuhn.

Elso Schiavo (87) looks back on a life full of creativity. At his exhibition in the Schwesternhaus (Sisters' House) in Baar, among other things, a series of pictures in black and white, which has been unusual for him so far, will be shown.
Photo: Maria Schmid

Elso Schiavo found his unmistakable figurative, abstract style early on, which is characterized by a subtle sense of humour: "It developed from my love of diving. I have a certain human attitude to fish. There are thick and thin fish, and I have shaped their inner life with imagination. When I gave them legs, they became birds, but I'm not a landscape, portrait or nature fan. I've always dealt with critters." Even the ships of fools fascinated him. Perhaps because he played in the Guggenmusik Laslafaria.

"Fortunately, I am a good observer and can draw, which is the basis of every painting. And I'm grateful to my mother for giving me a sense of proportions and colours."

In Schiavo's work, the coloured mythical creatures are not created according to plan, but intuitively. "After the primer, I spray the background with strong colours." I imagine where the colour focuses will go. Then I define the outer forms of the motifs with white and cover the rest." Even if his work is not so easy to classify, Schiavo has revived contemporary art in a humorous way.

Previous work was saved
Finally, it is important to him to pay tribute to the commitment of his wife Anna Marie Arrigoni. "She's an important person in my life," he says. "She supports me in all things and manages everything." The idea for the new black and white series was hers. "When I had inflammation in my elbow, she encouraged me to work on the table. That was a challenge, but it worked: that's how these works were created, and no one is like the other." His wife adds that it has been possible to make a replica of Schiavo's huge mural in the Baar civil defence facility, which is to be demolished, in which he "takes the military in his arms": in this way, the motif mounted on an aluminium plate is preserved, which will also be shown in the exhibition.

Elso Schiavo wants to continue his artistic work. And likes to remember many attempts in which he gives his best. He’s experienced much while painting in Zug, or being with his wife at the exhibitions in New York, Munich or Moscow.

Exhibition on Friday, September 24, from 6–9 p.m., and on Saturday/Sunday, from 11 a.m.–6 p.m., in the Schwesternhaus, Leihgasse 9a, Baar. Elso Schiavo speaks from his life: Sat 11 am and Sun 2 pm.