SISYPHU 2019

Editor: Right, let's talk about "SISYPHU," painted by Sergio Mario Illuminato in 2019. It’s a matter-painting, lots of acrylic, giving it a really textured surface. I’m immediately drawn to the rough texture on the face. It gives it such a… raw feeling. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It strikes me as a visceral exploration of human perseverance, almost painful in its honesty. The heavy texture, that impasto...it's like the weight of the world is physically embedded in the face. Does that resonate with you at all, the feeling of struggle etched onto the very surface? Editor: Definitely! That 'weight' really comes across. And I guess that ties in with the title, Sisyphus, the guy doomed to roll a boulder uphill forever? Curator: Precisely. It's Neo-Expressionist in that intensely personal outpouring, wouldn't you say? The artist isn't just depicting a face; they’re trying to capture something deeper. Think about those piercing eyes amid all that roughness – are they pleading, defiant, or something else entirely? What do you think they’re saying? Editor: I think there's defiance there, definitely a sense of 'I'm still here'. But mixed with…exhaustion? The colors, that almost washed-out blue, it contributes to that. Curator: It's a clever blend, that tension. A constant struggle, yes, but one with sparks of refusal to give in. Illuminato offers us a window into the human spirit's complex response to relentless challenge. That tiny fleck of red at the top. Do you read into it at all? Perhaps there's an aspiration or yearning of sorts... Editor: Now that you mention it…It's a stark reminder, a flash of passion in an otherwise muted palette. Seeing it that way definitely enriches my understanding. It isn't *just* despair. Curator: Precisely! It's in these little observations that pieces come to life! Editor: Absolutely! It's great to think about artwork being honest not about any other truth but that, you know, how it felt to make it. Thanks!