Talking about the Sinking of London Valour (Parlando del Naufragio della London Valour)

Description

On April 9, 1970, calm seas and nearly absent winds suddenly gave way to a violent storm with 45-knot southerly winds at 13:30. The British freighter London Valour, anchored south of the Duca di Galliera breakwater for a couple of days, began to drift towards the protective rocks as the sea reached force nine. Unable to hold anchor and unable to start its engines amidst the raging sea, the London Valour collided with the breakwater rocks around 14:30, splitting into two sections.

Despite the immediate response from tugboats, mooring teams, patrol boats from the Coast Guard, Carabinieri, Finance Police, and Police, the stern of the ship crashed against the rocks. The incident claimed twenty lives and resulted in the loss of the vessel—an unimaginable tragedy just a short swim from the shore, witnessed helplessly by the city.

De André drew inspiration from this real maritime tragedy to symbolize a catastrophe of a different nature and scale, likely referencing the social upheaval, both peaceful and violent, that characterized the years preceding the London Valour incident. It was a movement that ended partly in disillusionment and partly in ferocity, marking a period of normalization...

I began contemplating this painting in December 2013, long before it materialized in my mind and in the 'in progress' folder on my computer among others.