L’Angelo La Morte E Il Diavolo 2018

Roberto Ferri’s painting depicts an allegorical scene of an angel, death, and the devil, rendered with incredible detail and dramatic lighting. The artist’s hand seems to meticulously build up the figures through layers of thin glazes, creating a smooth, almost porcelain-like surface. Imagine Ferri standing before the canvas, patiently applying each stroke, refining the contours of the figures, and adjusting the subtle shifts in tone. The intense focus on detail is remarkable, especially in the rendering of skin, hair, and the textures of the fabrics. The palette is restricted to muted tones of brown, gray, and white, which adds to the painting's somber and ethereal mood. I wonder if Ferri was interested in the Old Masters, or perhaps Caravaggio's intense use of chiaroscuro? I see a dialogue with art history, but with a contemporary sensibility. It's as if Ferri is in conversation with the ghosts of painting past, wrestling with timeless themes of morality, mortality, and desire.