Veronica
Piraccini
Artist, performer and Master in Painting, she lectures in Painting and Phenomenology of the Sacred, and is also Coordinator of the Department of Visual Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome.
At the age of just 23, she became the youngest ever holder of the Chair of Painting, making her debut at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan.
In 1989, she created Pittura Impercettibile unica per essere Invisibile / Visibile (‘Imperceptible Painting, Unique in Being Invisible/Visible’), evoking the wonder of revelation in the ‘Tracciati e grovigli della vita’ (‘Traces and Tangles of Life’), from which emerges ‘Dall’impronta di Gesù’ (‘From the Imprint of Jesus’), a work created through contact with the Shroud of Turin, of which she is a scholar.
She is an expert in pigments, from the most technological, with her invention of Invisible Painting, to the most ancient, the purple dye she extracts and produces. Her works can be found in private collections, museums and state institutions; she has received numerous awards and holds exhibitions and lectures around the world.
In Milan, she founded the magazine ‘Tutto da capo’ (‘All Over Again’) together with F. Leonetti, E. Fiorani, A. Pomodoro and Dadamaino, initiating an artistic movement that explores a new form of imagery known as ‘Anti-representation’.
In addition, in 1989, she theorised the ‘Anti-System within the System itself’, a new ‘awareness of doing and thinking’ defined as ‘Theopractice’ (a neologism she coined), a different way of engaging in Artistic Research, which has been embraced by various artists.
She writes about art for the magazines AboutArtOnline, Vacanzattiva Journal, Storie in Rete and Fenix, as well as for Global Review.
and Global Review. She collaborates with ENEA and the Sapienza University of Rome on the study of pigments. She promotes young people’s art by curating exhibitions and organising seminars.
The mystery of the birth of art, from its ancient origins to the present day, in relation to the needs of the sacred.
Relationships and comparisons between the three monotheistic religions in chronological order, and their relationships with other spiritual traditions around the world.
Creativity and its function.
Philosophical and sociological insights, again in relation to the Artist within us and throughout history.
Reflections on the meanings of certain key words in the context of the mysteries of Spirit and Matter… of the Visible and the Invisible.
Reading list available to students enrolled on the course.
I wish everyone happy studying and a productive academic year together!
*‘Teopratica – la Pittura l’inizio del Desiderio – Sistema e Antisistema’ by Veronica Piraccini
Publisher: ‘L’Erma di BRETSCHNEIDER’, February 2023, Academy of Fine Arts in Rome.
Each of us is a unique and unrepeatable being; creativity is a powerful life force, the only salvation, a ray of light that pierces the darkness, but also a pearl that forms in secret. That mysterious and extraordinary moment of imagination, the origin of which is unknown, which connects us to the whole in our actions and thoughts – whether it be an idea, a desire, a need or a dream – something that did not exist in reality before, enabling us to create the work in complete freedom and with critical awareness.
The aim is to teach the Methods and Systems of Art, as well as what is normally omitted in the practice of Painting – the famous ‘studio secrets and tricks of the trade’ – not as ends in themselves, but as tools for Understanding One’s Own Ductus. It is our task to bring out that personal imprint of identity that makes us all unique in our ability to create works of art. Understanding the System in order to enter the Anti-System of Invention.
Art has never been brought down; it endures, it is feared, and it is also frightening! We must fight ever harder for the cultural development that makes our country great, remaining steadfast, all the more so in times of global economic crisis, caused by the model of commodification and consumerism on a colossal scale, by the multinational corporations that have disintegrated the community, the self and knowledge, into a bureaucracy that I describe as ‘technologically invasive and arthritic’, which believes itself to be omnipotent by making itself omnipresent, in an attempt to paralyse critical consciousness. Technology must serve as an expansion of knowledge, not as an end in itself, but as a different awareness of ‘doing and thinking’ as a profound extension of being in Art.
In my view, the challenge today lies in re-examining what it means to be human at the level of civilisation: a multifaceted identity in a ‘flow’ without clear boundaries or distinctions between the internal and the external, shaped by the encroachment of technology and by the fact that one’s own body no longer truly belongs to oneself.
of civilisation: a changing identity within its own ‘flow’, with no clear boundary or distinction between the internal
and the external, due to the way in which they have been invaded by technology, and due to the way in which their own bodies no longer belong to them…
In fact, humanity is asking itself whether, in the paradox of scientific invasiveness, it is still possible to build a cohesive and just society.
possible to be builders of a cohesive and just society.
And it is here that the urgent need arises to point to a new keystone for today’s generations, to kindle the fire of the ardent desire that inspires them to increasingly develop the
credo of art: *Theopractice is the dawn of a new era, in the ages of time!
Art creates a dynamic between the viewer and the creator, activating a powerful energy field, a space that connects us all, a space that shapes, carves and defines history.
history. This is established by the artist, a changing individual, a creator of discontinuity yet a constant presence, the architect of their work together with those who support, understand and share it!
The Academy of Fine Arts is the place of invention in Art, where the new is practised and conceived through the study of the Ancient, the Modern and the Contemporary.
the new is practised and conceived through the study of the Ancient, the Modern and the Contemporary. It is the workshop where we can explore the unknown of our own making and thinking in complete freedom, the place where we all engage in dialogue, guided by our chosen Master, as we move towards new dimensions in the joy of creation: planning, study, life drawing, knowledge of materials from the most ancient to the contemporary, encounters, experiences, works in progress, exhibitions, books, visits to museums, galleries, artists’ studios and libraries, and excursions.
In the hope of a fruitful Academic Year together,
I wish you all the best in your Colours!
*‘Teopratica – la Pittura l’inizio del Desiderio – Sistema e Antisistema’ by Veronica Piraccini
Publisher: ‘L’Erma di BRETSCHNEIDER’, February 2023, Academy of Fine Arts in Rome.