Mario Vellani Marchi at La Scala
by Vittoria Crespi Morbio, Evoking Reality
Appendices: biography; catalogue of works
Amici della Scala – Grafiche Step Editrice, Parma 2021
Italian – English edition, pp. 292
Between 1938 and 1961 Mario Vellani Marchi (1895-1979) signed an extensive series of productions for the Teatro alla Scala, as a set and costume designer.
Born in Modena and with his heart in Burano, he was a prominent member of Milanese cultural life and one of the founders of the Bagutta literary award, named after the trattoria with the same name, where he sat every evening in the midst of writers and artists, ever wielding his pencil.
He lived through the storms of the 20th century with his light, luminous line, often with irony, always with exemplary professionalism.
His painted sets break free of realistic accurancy to become imaginative, exotic, live mosaics where the balance between figures, wings, and backdrops is based on a perfect measure of chromatic integration.
A personality that contributed to shaping the history of Milan, an artistic career to rediscover.