Cleto Saponara - pittore contemporaneo

Cleto Saponara is born in Altavilla Silentina on 07/07/1956. He attended the artistic high school of Eboli obtaining his diploma in 1974, then graduated in Painting to the Academy of Fine Arts of Florence and as a private student he obtained a 5-year Diploma in ceramics at the Art Institute of Salerno. It is during the academic period that he meets the excellent sculptor, creator of forms and ceramist Bernardi Augusto from whom he begins to learn the art of Ceramic. During the period of academic studies in Florence he called to military service first in Avellino, then in Trani and later transferred to Persano for study reasons he made a concrete sculpture depicting the General of Marmora, about 4.20 meters high including the base. In 1978 he returned to his hometown where he began working as a ceramist under the periodic supervision of master Bernardi, with whom he made commercial objects and objects for shops and wholesalers. Afterwards he devoted himself to screen printing, producing in particular Decals for glass and porcelain ceramics. At the same time he began his teaching profession at the Art Institute of Oristano in Sardinia and then at the Art School of Teggiano in Campania, the Art Institute of Salerno and finally the Artistic High School of Eboli always in Campania where he is still teaching. Together with his students of the Artistic High School of Eboli he created a steel and ceramic sculpture placed in front of the Comune of Campagna (Salerno) representing the harmony created between the Jews and the local community. In his spare time between commercial work and the family, father of 3 children, he devoted himself to an artistic research never abandoned in the field of painting, sculpture and ceramics, porcelain stoneware, porcelain and fused glasses. He defines himself as a researcher in continuous evolution who imprints executive originality in his works. All the notions in his possession are transferred  into the artistic research of Raku ceramics also influenced by the practice of Aikido, Japanese martial art, begun in 1974 in Florence under the guidance of the Japanese master KANO YAMANAKA, becoming master of Aikido currently 5th DAN. In Raku he also gives his best not only in dynamic expressionistic, futuristic sculptures, but also in plates of enormous dimensions about 1,30m favoring landscape depictions. In the stylized objects he tries to create legible and unique decorations. Another great novelty is the fact that he succeeded in creating brushed paintings in expressionist futurist painting on ceramics, which are original because the enamelling of the dishes is powdery. He still teaches at the Artistic High School of Eboli and spend the rest of his free time in artistic research and production in the field of objects, animalistic, ceramic sculpture, painting on canvas and other supports but in particular raku objects.