Antonio de Val

ANTONIO DE VAL (Italy, 1895 - 1977).
"Man next to a seahorse", Art Deco period.
Dark patinated bronze.
Signed on the base.
Measurements: 111 x 95 x 45 cm.

In this work, key to understanding his artistic imaginary, Antonio de Val presents a young nude man next to a large seahorse, synthesizing the essential characteristics of his sculptural language: a stylized figuration centered on the human figure, with an elongated anatomy and marked musculature, which does not pursue hyperrealism but a harmonious and expressive interpretation of the body. The piece stands out for the formal duality between the serene and dominant presence of the young man and the fantastic and serpentiform nature of the creature, whose coiled tail accentuates the dynamism of the composition. The boy, half seated, holds the head or neck of the being with one arm while extending the other laterally with an open hand, generating a spiral movement that integrates both figures in a fluid and balanced rhythm. The modeling, with smooth but intensely expressive surfaces, together with the dark patina of the bronze, reinforces the mythological and allegorical character of the scene, evoking the tension between the human being and the fantastic or natural forces that he tries to dominate.

Antonio De Val made his debut as a sculptor in 1921 at the Mostra dei Grigio-verdi di Napoli exhibition. He also created a series of Art Deco works in ceramics. As a ceramist, like his peers such as Vincenzo Strio (1871-1949), Zina Aita (1900-1968) and Giuseppe Macedoni (1906-1986), he worked for the ceramics factory A. Freda & Figli in Naples, where his works were also exhibited. In 1934 he participated in Naples in the second exhibition of colonial art, Il Mostra d'Arte Coloniale di Napoli, which was held between October 1934 and January, with works in bronze and some ceramic sculptures of animals, and in the XIX Biennale d'Arte di Venezia, XIX Biennale d'Arte di Venezia. He then exhibited his creations at the annual Esposizioni Annuali di Arte Sindacale di Napoli exhibition and, in 1937, together with Giuseppina De Feo and Antonio Marone, he founded the Ceramica di Posillipo factory for the production of artistic ceramics. His father-in-law, Raffaele Marino, was also actively involved in the company. In 1940, Emporium magazine commented on one of his sculptures, Vittoria alata, which he had exhibited at the Triennale d'Oltremare di Napoli. After an interruption of his activities due to the war, Antonio De Val reopened the factory together with new partners. But in 1948 he was forced to close the company again and went to work at the Ceramiche Artistiche Napoletane factory. The Museo Provinciale della Ceramica di Raito, in Vietri sul Mare, preserves numerous ceramic works by Antonio De Val.