Nuorese Cultural DistrictGiovanni Antonio Pirari Varriani (b. 1853, Nuoro–d. 1934, Nuoro) was an Italian painter.
Giovanni Antonio Pirari Varriani
Description
After completing his studies at the Technical Institute in Sassari, Pirari became friends with the writer Enrico Costa and the painter Giovanni Marghinotti.
Returning to Nuoro, he became a member, ‘by right’, so to speak, of the circle of artists and intellectuals that was beginning to breathe life into the city and would soon earn it the name ‘Athens of Sardinia’: Sebastiano Satta, Francesco Ciusa, Antonio Ballero and Giacinto Satta were all regulars at his home.
A self-taught artist, he immersed himself in reading magazines and visiting museums and art galleries to cultivate his passion. He combined a traditional aesthetic with a concept of art free from commissions and awards. In his paintings, he portrayed Sardinia in a descriptive, ethnographic style, without excessive lyricism. His devotion to art and the influence of his artist friends also left their mark on his sons Piero Pirari and Antonio Pirari.
Pirari Varriani was actively involved in the public, cultural and political life of Nuoro.
He contributed to various artistic initiatives in the city, including the decoration of the hall of the old convent for the congress of university students in 1901 and the convention of physicians in 1908.