Stelle nitriscono 2007

Curator: "Stelle nitriscono," or "Stars Neigh," painted in 2007, is a compelling mixed-media work by the Italian artist Enzo Cucchi, employing tempera on… well, it’s complicated to pin down the exact surface. What strikes you initially? Editor: Hauntingly cheerful, perhaps? The vibrant, almost garish, colors of those skulls contrast sharply with the stark figure looming over them. It feels childlike but carries this undercurrent of… dread. Curator: That childlike quality, I think, connects it to broader trends of Neo-expressionism and Cucchi’s own interest in a primal, untutored style. He sought a raw, emotional expression, rejecting formal artistic conventions. Editor: The crudeness of the figure certainly reinforces that idea. Is he pointing? Conducting some morbid orchestra? And the skulls look almost like candy—though clearly signalling 'memento mori,' each one so vividly… textured. What's the material, would you say? Curator: Analysis suggests he layered the tempera with other materials, maybe even sand, creating this granular effect. "Stars Neigh" is fascinating in how it juxtaposes primitive artistic styles with these very modern, almost playfully morbid symbols. It's a dialogue, I suppose, between tradition and the contemporary. Editor: It makes you think about how death, this universal theme, is repackaged and reconsidered with each generation, doesn’t it? And I am curious what makes stars neigh to Enzo Cucchi. The mystery is inviting in such unsettling way. Curator: Yes, he really leaves a lot unsaid! Which is a core part of what makes him so interesting to me as a historian, to decode and think about its lasting influence. Editor: Exactly, sometimes the unsaid resonates much louder. It gives a strange echo with a taste of after-party vibe to contemplate what’s gone or what's next to go. What else can one do but wonder at this enigmatic and, I must say, really fascinating image?