Simultanemente 1967

Enrico Baj's "Simultanemente" presents a whimsical figure, its face a vibrant juxtaposition of colors and textures. The piercing red eyes evoke the ancient symbol of the all-seeing eye, a motif found across cultures from Egyptian mythology to Renaissance art. Note how the eyes follow us as we gaze upon this character, not dissimilar to portraits of Roman emperors in the first century. Although here, these are no longer symbols of absolute power, but rather suggest the constant scrutiny of the modern age, and a collective anxiety about the lack of privacy in contemporary life. The figure's fragmented features suggest a psychological tension, a mind divided, a concept echoing the dual nature of Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings, whose two faces look simultaneously to the past and future. Baj taps into our subconscious, triggering a primal response to faces and eyes, a visual language that transcends time. It’s a timeless dance between the observer and the observed, a mirror reflecting our own fragmented selves.