Dennis
Cigler was born in Mishicot, Wisconsin, USA, in 1947. He began
studying ceramics under Abram Cohen and Donald Reitz and later
dedicated himself to printmaking under the guidance of Warrington
Colescot while studying at the University of Wisconsin. After
graduating from the university, he taught art for two years at
William Horlick High School in Racine, Wisconsin. Some works of
this period were selected for permanent exhibition at the Kitchener
Waterloo Gallery in Ontario, Canada and at the open Door Gallery
of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. At this time he was also awarded a
medal for merit at the 8th Annual Exhibition of Prints and Drawings
organized by the Oklahoma Art Center of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
In 1970 he moved to Europe, first visiting France
before coming to Italy to settle in Rome where he continued
his studies at the Tyler School of Art of Temple Univeristy.
There he studied printmaking and painting under Romas Viesulas.
As
he himself said, his first impact with Rome was disconcerting:
after his sojourn in Paris, Rome appeared dirty, noisy and almost
barbaric. However, with time he began to discover an attraction
for the city’s idiosyncratic scenes and special light
which continue to inspire his works. At the conclusion of his
studies at Temple University, the artist dedicated himself for
a period exclusively to experimentation with batik painting
on cloth with considerable success.
The Centro Italiano Arte e Cultura di Roma awarded him their
silver medal "Campidoglio" at the 2nd Biennale del
Premio Internazionale di Pittura e Scultura "Oderisi da
Gubbio", held at the Romanian National Academy. He also
received one of three prizes awarded at the "Hommage to
Ungaretti" international competition. Cigler has since
then held a series of one-man shows and participated in numerous
collective showings. At one of his shows the well-known art
critic of the Rome Daily American, John Hart, wrote: "Cigler
comes up with unique works of art, exotically brilliant integrations
with flat surface. Simply as surfaces their decorative impact
is dazzling. He produces wall panels here to be ranked with
individual oil paintings, and top quality paintings to boot".
Emblematic of his work are two large pieces to be found in the
church of San Guercino near Florence. His batik work was also
commissioned by the Michigan Opera Theater for both the stage
settings and costumes for the production of Bizet's opera "The
Pearl Fishers" in the 1978-79 theater season in Detroit,
Michigan.
As a multi-faceted artist, Cigler has also collaborated
with Salsoul Record Corporation in New York, Cinevox and RCA
in Rome and has also worked as an illustrator for various magazines
such as Casa Vogue and for the FAO publication "Ideas and
Actions". For a number of years he was the Art Director
for "Development" and "Compass", the Society
for International Development magazines.
In the recent years,
his artistic evolution has directed him towards the research
and study of trompe l'oeil techniques, and his works can be
found in and around Rome, as well as in Naples, Palermo, Paris,
Barcelona, New York and San Salvador de Bahia in Brazil.
What is the essential character
of this varied production? His art, was described some time
ago by a noted critic as "brilliant, exotic, dazzling",
fine words that do not, however, penetrate to the fundamental
characteristic of his work that becomes more evident with time:
his ecclecticism that allows him to apply himself successfully
to oil painting, watercolor, and ceramics.
In
each of these media he creates works which are diversely inspired,
varied in subject matter but all equally fascinating. Interestingly
enough, in an interview speaking of his work, Cigler said, "At
this point if you ask me what the dominant quality of my work
is I would respond without hesitation: contradiction The immense
spaces and violent colors of my America, the Roman and Florentine
nuances of my Italy, my own desire and my own eyes turned toward
my Orient". This variety, made possible by firm grasp of
technique, is essentially the expression of the curiosity and
passion with which this artist looks at the world around him,
whether this be the architecture of Rome, the landscapes of
Tuscany and Umbria, or the faces, forms and colors of the human
figure. It is the realization of an idea expressed by Cigler
quoting Goethe, "We understand only that which we see".
There
is, however, another element that binds together all the images
of Cigler's work. It is the inspiration of something that is
personally very dear: ancient history, classical culture and
its myths. These elements, however, in many ways accompany him
in his daily life. Dennis Cigler lives, in fact, near Piazza
Navona in a fascinating apartment that he himself frescoed with
decorative motifs evoking images of an ancient Pompeian house,
displaying in an extraordinary fashion his unique creative and
technical capacities.
