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Collage by Rosario

Among the specialties that make even today the island of Ischia a unique place in the world, stands no doubt the manufacture of ceramics, millennia of art born from the skillful combination of what the ancient Greek philosophers of Asia Minor considered the four basic elements of the cosmos and the four roots of Being: Air, Water, Earth and Fire. And as the demiurge of Platonic reminiscence did with the world, so an island artist of rare talent enjoys today shaping the clay: Rosario Scotto di Minico, a native of Campagnano of Ischia.

Inextricably tied to the territory that is his native land, he has become in time a master of fine ceramics manufacturing. His artistic journey began many years ago. We are in the mid-70s; Rosario is little more than a boy, but already paints. «The real spark, the crucial meeting for the development of my artistic personality was with Vincenzo Funiciello, collagist painter of Ischia», says Rosario. «In this way I got to attend with increasing intensity and awareness artists from all over the world, getting in touch with the styles and the most diverse cultures that have always enriched and never upset my approach to art».
The artist of via Campagnano 131 now works mainly on commission, with shipments starting from the island to get away, on the edge of the world. «I recently received orders from Japan by tourists in Tokyo and Yokohama», says Rosario satisfied. «They have seen my creations during their stay on the island and they have been soon fascinated».
Unique and made by hand are the pieces coming out every day from the workshop of potter master, nestled in the gentle panoramic promontory overlooking the charming bay of Carta Romana. Here Rosario lives and works all along and it is from here that he draws inspiration for all of his creations, personalized and hand-finished in every detail. Theme coatings, wall sconces, wall panels or tables, benches, fireplaces, fountains, lamps, plates, pieces of all-ceramic or forged by combining more materials such as iron and wood ... In short infinite possibilities explored by Rosario in shaping clay, unique, instead, the common denominator of his works: the wise and prudent choice of clay, the detailed search of glazes and colors, simple and soft style to paint. Here’s the secret, here’s key figures of the figurative language of Rosario.
The most requested piece is without a doubt the Aragonese Castle, the famous fortress of the island that has profoundly marked the artistic career of Rosario, so as to induce him to inscribe in it the signature that he places at the bottom of each works. «It represents a real source of inspiration for me», says Rosario. «Every day it appears to me under an angle and a different perspective, so that I can draw and sculpt in clay with the play of light and shadows always different». And it is an original depiction of the Castle that tourists and residents on the island have been able to appreciate this year at the feast of St. Anna. This time, for the traditional celebration of July 26, was commissioned just to Rosario the realization of the characteristic “Palio”, the banner with the image of Sant’ Anna, become an essential element in the context of the event.