American Dream
Sometimes when I research a found treasure, I learn interesting tidbits about the artist as well as the art. Sometimes I find absolutely nothing. And others? I find a person with a lovely voice and learn a great deal about many things. This charming artwork by Tom Marrazzo dated 2/16/1936 falls into the last category.
I picked up the piece at a local thrift store for $2.99. The artwork puzzled me as it does not appear to be a print, more a pen and ink work (no Benday dots). But it also feels much like an old etching, in the style of Rembrandt, with the busy town scene of a butcher working in the open air, while the charming local folks, chickens and dogs mill about. I put it up on my display shelf in our dining room and left it to be admired.
Recently I decided to research the piece. Google Image Search was useless, and a name search revealed almost nothing, other than learning “Marrazzo” is a family name from Naples, Italy. I did, however, find a contemporary artist with a gallery called “Marrazzo Art”, run by Cindy Marrazzo in Tennessee (https://marrazzoart.com/). As the name is slightly unusual, not a “Smith” anyway, I figured no harm done in reaching out to her to see if she had any familiarity with a Tom Marrazzo. And boy did I discover a wonderful story!
Tom Marrazzo was her father, born 1919 and died 1988. Her note to me is a lovely tribute to him, a man who lived a very American tale of immigrants, family love and creativity.
July 17 CM to EHJ:
“Dad was the first son born here in 1909 in Long Island, NY. His 5 older brothers and sisters were all born in Naples, Italy. Two more brothers were born after him here in the states. I believe that piece was inspired from trips they made back to Naples, Italy. He was a very talented artist and could also sing and dance. Wow could he sing! I still miss him, 35 years later.
However, as you probably know, making a living as an artist in the 1920s and 1930s, wasn't very profitable…Dad got his degree in architecture to work for his dad…who owned a construction company in Long Island, NY. Architecture was his way of being practical. However, he wouldn't marry the cousin brought over for him to marry from Naples, Italy, chose to marry another and was disowned. The family was very Italian in traditions.
Dad's first marriage didn't work out, but it did bring him to Chicagoland. He eventually married my mom, and I was born when he was 47 years old. Dad was a Korean War Veteran - Army and Air Force…He was also a great bowler with a 190 average, a professional baseball player and Mom and Dad would jitter bug up until a week before he left this earth. I should also mention, when 3 art teachers came to the house to beg my parents to let me go to the Art Institute on a full scholarship, my dad was adamant that it wasn't practical. Denied my dream at 16, I went into the service at 17 and then engineering school. 15 years ago (36 years later), I started painting again, and I understand why he did what he did for me. Although I sell almost everything I've ever painted, it is very hard to make a living as an artist.
Whether you write about him or not, thank you for the memories and letting me talk about him. I miss him to this day and still ask him for help in my art. Sometimes I feel I get answers from him. For example, I was about to quit painting for multiple reasons. I looked up to where I'd consider heaven and begged for his help in finding some direction. The next morning, I received a letter from AAPL that they were featuring me in September's Landscape issue in American Art Collectors magazine. In the following weeks I was accepted into Artsclamation art show in Knoxville, TN - where I had in the previous year been wait listed. Sometimes I hear his critique while I'm painting. I just wish he could have physically been here to see what I have accomplished with my art and living both our dream.”
I love the journey that created this artwork. A family with 5 children leaving Italy on a boat in the early part of the 1900s. Setting down roots in Long Island, but traveling - with 8 children - to see the family “back home” in Italy. A young man, capturing the scenes of that life, so foreign to his experience in the United States. And his choices regarding careers, marriage, and creativity. The majority of us are the descendants of a story like this: my father’s Pilgrim and Dutch ancestors in the 1630s; my mother’s German ancestors in the 1890s; my husband’s Polish ancestors in the 1910s. While the details may vary, we are all lucky the American Dream allowed them to thrive. As Cindy Marrazzo will be in the Chicago area in the fall for an art show, I will give her the piece I found as it really should find itself back home with her and her family.