Born in Cona, in the province of Venice, Umberto Volante moved with his family at the age of three to Merano, in the province of Bolzano. After elementary school, he attended the State Institute of Art in Ortisei, becoming a master of art under the guidance of Ludwig Moroder (Bera Ludwig); in this period he was in close contact, among others, with Augusto Murer, Bruno Visentin and Claudio Trevi.
He graduated from the Art Institute of Carmini in Venice, then directed by Prof. Giorgio Wenter Marini.
He then attended the Magistery of Art and the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia, under the guidance of Alberto Viani. In 1948 he began the activity of sculptor in his studio in Merano, alternating it with the teaching of wood carving at the Art Institute of Carmini, which continued until 1965 (except for an interval between 1950 and 1956).
In this period, he also deepened the use of other plastic techniques, such as majolica, mosaic, bronze, embossed metal, as well as the pictorial techniques of fresco and graffiti and the graphic techniques of xylography. He came into contact with several artists of the Venetian circle of that time, such as Federico De Rocco, Mario Dinon, Bruno Saetti, Giulio Alchini, Amedeo Renzini, Sergio Schirato, Riccardo Schweizer, Yvan Beltrame, Eronda (Mario De Donà), Gazar Ghazikian.
In the interval between 1950 and 1956, he lived again in Merano, where he frequented the artistic environment of the town and where he befriended other artists, such as Ugo Claus, Oswald Kofler, Oskar Müller, Peter Fellin, Anton Frühauf, Emilio Dall'Oglio.
After several trips to different European cities, he settled permanently in Merano, continuing his research and artistic production alongside the teaching of art education at the Middle School G. Segantini.
He was commissioned to create frescoes and decorative graffiti for numerous buildings in Merano, Algund, Roveré della Luna, Malosco, Antholz, and Castello Tesino. He also designed and decorated some tombs in the cemetery of Merano.
From 1963 to 1973 he organized ceramic courses, attended by many citizens, to whom he taught the technique of modelling and decoration of ceramics, majolica and terracotta; at the end of the courses, the works of the students were exhibited at the Kursaal of Merano, hosted by the Tourist Office.
After his retirement, he continued to broaden and deepen his use of various expressive means (enamel on bronze, detachment of wall paintings, lacquer on wood), continuing his production until the last months before his death.
Travels
Great importance assumed, in the artistic production of Umberto Volante, the various trips made in Europe:
travel to Paris, with his wife Nora and friend Giulio Alchini, in 1957;
travel to Madrid, with his family, through France and Spain, in 1959;
Kaisserlian, Giorgio et al. (1969). Arte italiana contemporanea. Florence: La Ginestra Editrice
Conta, Gioia (1998). Bolzano Media Val d'Adige Merano ([2.] ed.). Bolzano: Provincia autonoma di Bolzano. Assessorato alla scuola e cultura italiana. ISBN88-85129-25-0.
