The Chiseller: the art of writing life in metal
Hello Reversians,
Today our blog is born.
“Ours” because it is the result of life experiences and moments shared with you, the wonderful members of this community!
I’ve decided to start by telling you a bit about my job.
I like to define myself as an incurable dreamer, in love with love and a seeker of authentic beauty... but everyone knows me as "the chiseller"!
But do you know what a chiseller is?
It is a profession that requires patience, skill and a great passion for art.
In chiseling, every detail counts and requires attention. "It is not the skill of the chiseller that makes the work perfect, but his patience,” said Michelangelo, and…he was right!
Each passage has its time, each shape its curves, each overhang its touch
You can't force it, you can't rush but you can't procrastinate either... it's a discipline that teaches respect for time, steps, the order of the world...
The official definition of a chiseller is: "Artist or craftsman who works with chisel"
And I want to start right from here: from the chisel, something as simple and essential as it is magically multifaceted, without which this art would not exist.
“Chisel' derives from the Latin 'caelum' meaning heaven, indicating that the chiseller's skill is so exquisite that he can literally shape heaven into gold. A chiseler is a skilled craftsman who etches metal to create fine details and raised designs. He works with extreme precision and finesse, using tools called chisels, from which the name derives.
One of the most famous engravers in history is certainly Benvenuto Cellini, considered one of the greatest graduates of the Florence School of the Renaissance. His skill in working with metal, both in the art of sculpture and in chiseling, remains unparalleled.
Another great master of chiseling was Lorenzo Ghiberti, known for having won the competition for the doors of the Baptistery of Florence. Its laboriously chiseled bronze doors have been described as "the door to heaven."
I consider myself truly lucky: I had four great masters who not only taught me this ancient art, but who also passed on to me their strong passion, which to this day remains my main driving force.
In order of appearance, the first was my father Elio Reversi, who put the chisel in my hand for the first time when I was 6 years old, with a small stall made especially for me (which with great pride and tenderness is displayed in my shop on the Navigli). From him I learned tenacity, strength and dedication. He recently left us, which was a great pain for me, but I believe that important people, those who really marked our lives, never leave us completely, and today when I sit at my workbench, I find him again and I feel him close in my every gesture.
The second was Tino Paoli, a great craftsman, and first my father's teacher: a tough and imposing man, however he took me under his wing almost with the affection of a grandfather for his grandson.
The third was Luciano Barberi, the same age as my father, and in addition to technique he taught me something that I have never forgotten and that I still do today: the beauty of working surrounded by music, classical, to be precise. Vivaldi for the days when energy is needed, Chopin and his piano to concentrate, and Einaudi on rainy days...
There are those who do yoga, those who meditate, and I... well I light a candle, turn on my vintage speaker, and chisel...
And the fourth, but certainly not least, was Othmar Winkler, who from the 1930s until his death at the end of the 1990s created numerous masterpieces, thus earning himself a place of honor among the leading artists Italians of those years. He was from Trento, just like me, and it was a great privilege to be able to be at his side. Working with him meant living history.
"Like a chiseller who strives to make perfection in the material he works, so the artist must perfect himself,” said the great Leonardo, (who created the Navigli, right where my workshop is located) and I try to perfect myself and grow every day, thanks to my most important teacher: life.
The meetings, the stories, the joys, the pains, the tears and smiles, the slaps and caresses... all of this has built my soul and I put all of this into my creations every day!
From the Navigli, that is all,
shine bright #reversians,
I await you here!