TOTI DAL MONTE

Toti Dal Monte was a great soprano of the first half of the 20th Century. I have been collecting vintage 78 rpm records from a very early age. Having bought a stock of opera records a couple of years ago, I came across some of her recordings of Lucia di Lammermoor, Madama Butterfly and La Traviata. Her wonderful voice so impressed me that I decided to deepen her figure by studying her biography and vocal technique. The idea of ​​creating a painting that could represent her started when I contacted Maestro Giancarlo Nadai, Director of the "Toti Dal Monte" Association of Pieve di Soligo. This year marks the 50th year of the foundation of the association and, therefore, the idea of ​​creating a portrait for the Museum of the singer was almost authomatic. After a careful study of her personality, I thought of an artwork that could represent her in a biographical way. She, in the center, dominates the composition. The black dress, from 1935, stands out against the bright background in which there is her liberty villa. The purple drapes suggest the theatrical backdrop (Toti Dal Monte sang in all the greatest World theaters) and, on the base of the column, a nightingale to suggest her singing skills while, below, the partitures of Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti and of Madama Butterfly by Puccini. I love this painting very much because in it there is not only painting but also great music. That music that always accompanies every brushstroke of mine and by which I feel represented.