Ciccimarra by Frank S. Nowosad (1988, Hardcover)

Nowosad's book contains a detailed Chronology, Bibliography, and abundant notes. Richard Ciccimarra was born in Vienna in 1923, grew up & studied in Austria between WWI & WWII, and moved to British Columbia, Canada, where he produced the bulk of his extraordinary art. Nowosad carefully chronicles the short and tragic life of an artist largely unappreciated during his own lifetime. Many extracts of Ciccimarra’s letters to his family and to the gallery owner who staged Ciccimarra’s showings & sold some very few art works during the artist’s lifetime. Profusely illustrated with photos & black and white reproductions of Ciccimarra & his art works. The book also contains a section of glossy color plates, including “Blackbird with a Pansy Face,” an oil on board, a number of haunting gouaches, somewhat reminiscent of Gauguin’s works, including “Laughing Woman,” and some of the haunting rice paper on wood collages, Including “The Descent” which are especially haunting. Physically plagued with ulcers, later with paralysis from the waist down, constantly abusing alcohol in a futile attempt to combat severe bouts of depression, and challenged with an inability to form close personal ties, Ciccimarra’s life was a constant battle of the intellectual and physical realities of a talented artist. Dying in Greece in 1973, Ciccimarra left a legacy of art which mirrors much of the 20th century.