Crepuscolo Nfernale 2018

Roberto Ferri made this painting, Crepuscolo Nfernale, sometime after he was born in 1978, probably with oil on canvas. What strikes me first is how Ferri uses light, not just to illuminate, but to sculpt forms out of the darkness. It's a real push and pull between what's revealed and what's hidden. Look at the hero’s back, how the light catches the muscles, making them seem both powerful and vulnerable. And that dog, or beast, writhing beneath him – it's all rendered with such intensity. Ferri’s got this Caravaggio-esque drama, but with his own contemporary twist. The surface is smooth, almost polished, which lets the light glide across the figures. It reminds me of Jenny Saville, but with more classical restraint. Ultimately, though, it’s a painting that invites you to feel, not just to see. It's not about answers, but about the questions it stirs up.