The Art Guitars of Enrico Bottelli:
Sumi-e
Nature Paintings
Along with 30 other limited-edition instruments by some of Italy’s best guitarmakers, this guitar was initially built for the Roma 2020 exposition that was cancelled due to the pandemic. This is my third art guitar. With art guitars, my intention is to create a limited group of one-of-a-kind instruments, each with a preponderant decorative addition that gives it a unique character and special elegance. On this instrument I invited an Italian artist friend of mine, Mauro Bellucci, expert of traditional Japanese calligraphy and black ink painting (Sumi-e), to collaborate with me. The idea for the instrument came to me in 2018 while I was looking at pieces of a dramatically beautiful wood, a true masterpiece of nature, the Black and White Ebony (Diospyros malabarica, D. embryopteris, D. peregrina). Some pieces of this wood resemble lines of black ink drawn on a yellow background, forming what looks like paintings. I decided to put three of these “paintings” from nature on the back of the instrument and asked Mauro to paint a sheet of rice paper that was similar in appearance, which would then be glued onto the inside of the back of the guitar, between the first and second brace. The other decorations present throughout the guitar are Black & White Ebony purflings (rosette, top, sides, back, head, nut) with the grain running transversally to form a repeating sequence of black lines.
In this guitar, I simply let nature express its own force and beauty, I merely decided which parts of the wood to use to provide the specific eyecatching effect that I sought. The only parts of the guitar where there is a component designed and made by man are my wood mosaic arch pattern in the rosette, the beautifully made Rodgers tuning machines with engraved brass plate, and Mauro Bellucci’s painting on the inside of the back.
With the Black & White Ebony striped sequences on a dark background of Wenge (Millettia Laurentii, Africa) on the back and sides, along with the three inlaid and purfled Black & White Ebony trapezoidal “paintings,”on the back, and the large flamed Black Ebony bindings, the end result is a very modern look that is most unusual on a classical guitar. The top made from a light, responsive highly figured bearclaw spruce from the European alps and a rare piece of flamed Honduras Mahogany for the neck, add further visual beauty and elegance to the instrument.
On the sound aspect the instrument is remarkably powerful, deep, rich, and clear, with an elegant traditional tone quality and a special singing and sustaining treble coming from the light and highly responsive soundboard. The Sumi-e (the Japanese term for a kind of calligraphy-inspired charcoal painting) guitar, was completed after 110 days of planning and work. Its completion unfortunately comes at a mournful time for the planet, but it is my hope that it can give joy to the eye and to the ears of guitar lovers passionate for both music and art.
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- soundboard
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- Top detail
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- Rosette
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- Bridge
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- Label
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- Inside-view
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- Inside-view
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- Inside-view
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- Inside-view
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- Inside-painting
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- Painting n°1
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- Painting n°2
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- Painting n°3
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- Sides heel view
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- Sides heel view
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- Heel cap
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- End strip
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- Head rear
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- Head front
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- Head angle view
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- Head angle view
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- Full wenge
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- Full wenge
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- Full back view
