Carnival and art

SHROVE THURSDAY CORRESPONDS TO THE LAST THURSDAY BEFORE LENT OF THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION AND FOR THIS REASON IT OPENS THE WEEK OF THE MOST EXAGGERATED CELEBRATIONS RELATED TO CARNIVAL. AS A MATTER OF FACT, STARTING TODAY ONE OF THE MOST REPRESENTATIVE TOWNS FOR CARNIVAL, VENICE, EXPERIENCES DAYS WITH PLENTY OF PARTIES AND BALLS WHERE PEOPLE PARTICIPATE AS MASKED AND WHERE JOKES AND ENTERTAINMENT ARE THE PROTAGONISTS, RECALLING ANCIENT TIMES THAT STILL FASCINATE ALL OF US.

A precious and antique history

Carnival certainly is one of the most representative celebrations for the town of Venice, which is often remembered other than for its breathtaking beauty also for the decorations and festive feeling that you can experience in this period of the year.

Since approximately 900 years the Venetian Carnival enlivens the alleys and the houses of the town, involving tourists that reach Venice from all over the world to enjoy the opulent parties, the funny jokes as well as the parades with the mysterious and traditional Venetian masks.

It is, however, only in 1926 that Carnival becomes an officially recognized celebration, even if already in 1094 there were rumours of public celebrations in the period before Lent. For Venetians Carnival corresponded to the opportunity to free oneself from the tiring working loads in order to have fun, dance, enjoy the performance of artists of all kinds and at the same time those same artists where attracted by the folklore and by the elegance of Venetian celebrations. Actually, it was specifically established to allow the population to have their period of entertainment and leisure: the use of masks to hide faces was an expedient used to place on the same level the different social ranks, giving a minor compensation to the lower classes who always were the most unhappy during the historical period of Serenissima.

With the fall of the Republic of Venice, Carnival had a stalemate period, nevertheless celebrations did not stop in the most important islands known for their art: Murano and Burano, the homeland for glass artists and virtuous sculptors.

It was especially in the nineteenth century that Carnival helped to transform Venice in the favourite destination of prominent artistic personalities, coming from all over the world and who were inspired by the colours and by the magic atmosphere of a celebration that already had become a folkloristic tradition: writers, painters, musicians saw the Queen of the Adriatic as a source of artistic inspiration.

The elegance of Venetian Carnival

Still today, an aspect that must be highlighted and that differentiates Venetian Carnival from any other worldwide celebration, is the elegant and opulent connotation reflected by the town in such period, compared to other locations where Carnival is mainly a synonym for extravagance and lightheadedness. Venice continues to amaze its visitors for the traditional outfits that today narrate the history of the Republic of Venice, recalling the Venetian dogi and ladies, that often are worn at incredible parties where participants dance and celebrate. Similarly, also wide halls of ancient palaces are decorated with colours and entertainment: the light coming from Murano glass chandeliers fills the rooms and is reflected on the water of the canals that run along the town.

Murano chandeliers: the counterpart of Venetian Carnival

Starting from this enrapturing vision of the lights and of the incredible colours that explode during such festive period, the chandeliers of our collection Murano get their inspiration source. Entirely handcrafted using the most typical Venetian material, the famous Murano glass, in the historical glass factories of Murano island, these chandeliers stand out on a global level also for the elegant shapes and for a preciousness that can only come from such an important historical tradition.

Patrizia Volpato is traditionally rooted in the Venetian territory both because it is the hometown of our headquarters and also because we use Murano glass as the main material for our artistic creations. The bond with Murano glass factories is a certainty for our company, that since 1980 produces decorative lamps of extremely high quality and with a contemporary design, without abandoning the ancient art of blown glass.

This way, amongst the items of Murano Collection we find some articles with bright and bold colours that recall the tones of the Venetian Carnival: being red, blue and yellow, they give vibrant shades to the environment of which they become a source of light, reflecting joy just like in the most sunny day of Carnival in Venice!

It is no coincidence that the colours of the most traditional masks recall the shades of some lighting items that are found in our Murano collection; Carnival and art are part of the same inspirational swirl, persuading each other just as if dancing together in one of the most beautiful Venetian halls.