cancer 2019

Camilla d'Errico created this image, titled "cancer", in the twenty-first century using acrylic. The painting employs the smooth, controlled application of paint in a very precise way. It’s a kind of technical virtuosity that can easily go unnoticed. The drips of color on the girl’s shoulders, for example, seem casual, even spontaneous. However, each is actually quite deliberately placed, a controlled effect. The aesthetic is linked to manga and related forms of popular illustration. This tradition, which tends to be looked down upon as mere commercial work, actually has a rich and fascinating history, with its own standards of excellence. D’Errico manages to combine that sensibility with something deeper, the power of myth. Ultimately, d’Errico asks us to think carefully about how value is assigned in the art world and to appreciate the ways that artists can synthesize seemingly disparate influences into something truly original.