Outsider Artist Carlo Zinelli

Carlo Zinelli (1916–1974, Italy)
Zinelli, the fourth of seven children, was always an introverted child. At the age nine he was separated from his family and sent to work as a farm laborer. Country life made him even more withdrawn. At age fifteen Zinelli moved to Verona to become a butcher's apprentice, but the transition from the country to the city was quite difficult for him. In Verona he developed an interest in music and painting, and he lived there until the army drafted him in 1936.

During his service in the military the first signs of his mental illness appeared. In 1941, in a state of disorientation and Panic resulting from war trauma, Zinelli attacked his captain and was discharged. After the war a persecution complex increasingly plagued him, horrifying visual hallucinations, and speech disorders. In 1947 his family committed him to the San Giacomo Psychiatric Hospital in Verona.

At the hospital Zinelli drew graffiti on the hospital walls with a brick. Two years later in 1957, the Countess Berletti set up a Studio for Artistic Expression inside the hospital. Zinelli participated in this forum, and in this creative environment he flourished, painting each day for fourteen years. Using a fine brush, Zinelli painted plants, animals, boats, and houses. However, his predominant motif was a profile of a person. In 1962 his style shifted as he began adding stripes of dense color on the paper as a backdrop to his repeated figures. Later he would add a plethora of letters and words. However, the words were made-up and senseless, reflecting the artist's inability to use language.

The San Giacomo hospital was closed in 1971, and Zinelli was transferred to the recently Constructed Marzana Psychiatric Hospital in Verona. Zinelli was greatly distraught by the loss of the old studio, and as a result he painted infrequently. Soon after his transfer, the new hospital was also closed. After twenty-four years of confinement, Zinelli was released to his family. Unfortunately, they did not have the ability or desire to care for him properly. Sadly, Carlo Zinelli died of tuberculosis in 1974.

Carlo Zinelli (1916–1974, Italy) please click image to enlarge
-- artist: Carlo Zinelli title: Untitled (1967) inventory: CZ-02 media: tempera on paper size: 27 x 20 inches note: this piece is double sided price: SOLD	-- artist: Carlo Zinelli title: Untitled (1967) inventory: CZ-05 media: tempera on paper size: 27 x 20 inches note: this piece is double sided price: contact gallery	-- artist: Carlo Zinelli title: Untitled (n.d.) inventory: CZ-07 media: tempera on paper size: 27 5/8 x 19 5/8 inches note: this piece is double sided price: contact gallery
-- artist: Carlo Zinelli title: Untitled (n.d.) inventory: CZ-1356 media: tempera paint on paper size: 27 1/2 x 19 5/8 inches note: this piece is double sided price: contact gallery
-- artist: Carlo Zinelli title: Untitled (n.d.) inventory: CZ-08 media: tempera on paper size: 27 5/8 x 19 5/8 inches note: this piece is double sided price: contact gallery

Judy A Saslow Gallery