Ecate 2018

Editor: Roberto Ferri's 2018 oil painting, "Ecate," really strikes me. It’s… unsettling, but also beautifully rendered. There’s such a contrast between the woman and the demonic figure embracing her. What do you see in this piece? Curator: From a materialist perspective, I see a staged, almost theatrical tableau crafted from oil paint—a historically charged medium laden with associations of wealth, power, and the male gaze. But here, how are those traditions being subverted? Editor: What do you mean by "subverted"? Curator: Well, consider the labor involved in producing this image. Ferri meticulously crafts an illusion using oil paint. This skilled craftsmanship aligns him with a lineage of Old Masters, yet the imagery – the nude figure and the demon – feels distinctly modern. The artist has been making figurative work for decades. It appears to borrow elements of Surrealism... the whole composition feels almost like a commodity ready for consumption by the viewer. Is it challenging existing systems? Does it make a social commentary, or reinforce norms? What do you think? Editor: It's interesting how the materials and the technique create this tension. So, you're suggesting it's not just about *what* is depicted, but how the painting itself participates in a kind of economy of images and ideas. Curator: Precisely. The painting, as an object, carries its own cultural weight. Editor: This gives me a lot to think about. I had initially focused on the symbolism, but you’ve shown me that considering the materials and production reveals so much more about its potential meaning. Curator: I'm glad it resonates with you. Every encounter is unique. The conversation continues.