An Angel for Italo: Bruce Helander remembers an artist's artist
Bruce Helander

Occasionally, there is an artist whose sudden passing on poses an enormous loss to the art community. Italo Scanga, who recently died of a heart attack, was one of those rare creative creatures who was widely exhibited and collected, particularly in South Florida, where his bright colors, exuberant lines and dramatic carved and painted sculptures found an adoring audience with sunlit spaces ready to be occupied. His first one-man show in Florida in 1984 caused an absolute sensation. The previous year Scanga was included in the Whitney Museum of Art's Biennial Exhibition and the Museum of Modern Art's survey of American sculpture. Not knowing there were so many transplanted winter residents form New York here in Florida, the artist was surprised, at first, that so many visitors were familiar with his singular, pioneering and somewhat primitive style.

His close friendship with Dale Chihuly also helped convince many collectors in Florida that he was worth acquiring, which built confidence both for the artist and his market. More importantly, the impact he had on dozens of other successful artists both as teacher and colleague carved out a more sophisticated vision for many who overlooked the values in handcrafting sculpture with spirited objects.

For those who were not familiar with the artist or his work, it must be said that both were unforgettable. Outwardly, Italo seemed to look like a common laborer with suspenders, the kind of guy who looked like he could fix anything with speed and at a fair price. Inwardly, he was a complex and intelligent soul who celebrated life on a daily basis. Even when without a paintbrush or carving tool in hand, his creativity oozed from his pores.

Italo Scanga was the consummate artist's artist. At every professional level individuals could recognize the rare qualities that Scanga brought to his work and life. His life was a clear reflection of the artist's soul: robust and absolutely full of energy, with an interest in all things that had a natural spirit of integrity. He loved his planet and the earthy crust that served as his creative foundation. For the majority of his career, he foraged about as a sculptor connecting the products that were enriched form the soil. Sticks, wicks, gourds, boards, twine, line, reeds, weeds and even potatoes served as three-dimensional building blocks to create eccentric and poetic forms. He was a true scavenger of beauty - his art supply store was the flea market, where he became on of the greatest artist/collectors of that venue of all time. He was able to immediately understand how unrelated industrial and household objects could be welded together to bring a new life, dignity and a completely fresh slant to their original purpose. Figuratively speaking, an upside down tree branch was turned into a contraposto profile that in turn would hold a musical instrument, a picture frame or a wine bottle. Scanga was a 3-D novelist full of intrigue, innocence and mystery - his colorful stories will go on forever.

It's not surprising that all other things originating from the earth captured Italo's reverence and imagination. He loved the smell of this land, its spices and herbs and the oil fresh-pressed form Italian olives. He cooked like a master chef with nonchalance and a simple grace that was remarkable. Italo was indeed a Calabrian saint, a patron saint for all of us actually, wrapped up in his own sensual wet reeds that he cut and formed with affection like no one else. He was an extraordinarily talented sculptor who God very likely created directly from the earth. An idiosyncratic painter, an intellectual and humorist propelled by a natural, searching, intuitive spirit, as pure as any artist who ever lived. Indeed, he was a national treasure and he will be greatly missed.