Viridi 2020

This is Camilla d’Errico’s “Viridi”, though when it was made, I don’t know. But I can imagine her making it, working with the tension between classical portraiture and the kind of big-eyed manga cartoon aesthetic. Just look at that green! The artist seems unafraid of exploring how many ways green can be green. I’m thinking of Titian, and the Venetian painters' love of lush greens. D’Errico is definitely in that tradition. There's a green snake winding its way around the neck of the young woman in the picture, almost like jewelry. Then there's the lizard, the bird, the butterfly – each creature painted with such loving detail and sharp edges. The whole image has a feeling of lush growth and life. Making a painting is like having a conversation with art history, it’s a constant dialogue with what’s come before, each artist responding to the other across time. It’s a beautiful dance of inspiration.