Rainy day and some art to appreciate

This afternoon the storm became more intense than in the morning. The downpour was continuous. The thunder and lighting were very loud and alarmingly close. It remained dark most of the day.

But there were some bright elements. Aldo Giraudo showed me one of his latest artistic finds. It is the bozzetto of a painting by Mario Caffaro Rore of St Francis de Sales… bozzetto being the first draft or rough sketch of a work. Some artists do this in charcoal or pencil. Caffaro Rore (1910-2001) used make his preliminary sketches by painting on a small wooden board or on masonite, as in this case from the looks of it. This draft was on sale in Torino, and Aldo bought it for €400 this past summer. The final product is in the chapel of the Salesian Sisters in Chieri.

In fact, Aldo has been telling me about this great find of his for months, and he was quite excited in showing me the actual piece. I became excited too when I saw it. As Aldo pointed out the intricacies of the bozzetto, I reached for my little camera and tried to make a few photographs.

In this painting of Francis made for the Salesian Sisters, the saint is depicted at his desk, plume pen in hand, body posture intense and at work, but his face turned toward the viewer. It is a Francis de Sales composing the Treatise on the Love of God, or writing a letter of spiritual direction. He is every bit the master, ready to teach; he is the founder of a school of Christian life, ready to direct. The painting is magnificent and classical, but immediate as it brings us into the saint’s environs.

Last year Aldo was able to purchase another Caffaro Rore’s bozzetto. The subject, again, is Francis de Sales. The destination for this piece was Tempio Don Bosco, the church on the birthplace of St John Bosco at the Becchi (Colle Don Bosco). Aldo has had this piece framed, and it is now in the chapel of the provincial community of the UPS, which is named Comunità San Francesco di Sales (St Francis de Sales Community).

This painting destined for Colle Don Bosco is very different from the one done for the Salesian Sisters in Chieri. Francis de Sales is again at his desk, but desk and writer are almost lifted up into heaven by strong, angel youths. Francis looks up to the sky (not to the viewer) with astonishment and joy. This is a moment of contemplation — of mystical union. The pen is suspended as Francis contemplates Divine Love. To look at this depiction, the viewer almost feels the urge to remain there, gazing with Francis at a loveliness that cannot be described but that can only be fathomed deeply in the heart and soul.

Well I say this because I have seen the actual painting several times, and my experience has been that I have never wanted to tear myself away from it. I would have rather loved to jump into the canvas and let myself be lifted up with Francis by those same angels to see what he sees in that moment of fascination, of mystery and of mysticism.

Ahhhhhhhh … incredible.

So now, thanks to Aldo, we have a little piece of these Salesian wonders on our university campus.

Finally, let me just make the note that Mario Caffaro Rore studied art history under don Alberto Caviglia, a great Salesian historian. Don Caviglia called upon the young Caffaro Rore to collaborate in recreating the image of Dominic Savio based on family photographs of his siblings (there were no photos of Dominic, who died in 1857).

Caffaro Rore’s 1940 portrait of Dominic became the standard by which all later images have been based. Through the 1950s until his death, Mario Caffaro Rore painted many works for the Salesian family in churches and in residences throughout Italy. If I call him a Salesian artist, it is done advisedly.