Da Michelangelo 1966

Tano Festa made this painting, "Da Michelangelo," and it's like a puzzle of pale blues, whites, and blacks that your eye has to piece together. I can almost see Festa in his studio, circling around, brush in hand, adding a block of colour here, scraping away a line there, always in conversation with the canvas. It feels like a thought unfolding. The colours are cool, almost detached, but that just makes you look closer, right? And the way he's framed a classic form into blocks is very Pop. The way he divides the canvas reminds me a little of David Hockney. You know, painting is like one big, long conversation. Each artist builds on what came before, remixing and reinterpreting. Festa looked at Michelangelo, and then he added his own twist. That's what makes it so great. It's like he’s saying, "Hey, Michelangelo, I see you, and now I'm gonna do my own thing."