Demone 2011

Curator: Roberto Ferri's oil painting, "Demone," completed in 2011, presents a captivating yet unsettling visual. The composition recalls the baroque era, but with surrealist undertones that certainly warrant our attention. Editor: The drama is certainly turned up to eleven! The figure's pose, combined with that stark black background, makes the whole thing read like a highly theatrical stage production, very compelling in a slightly unnerving way. Curator: I find it fascinating how Ferri uses the interplay of light and shadow to sculpt the figure's form. The musculature is rendered with almost anatomical precision. And it speaks of classical training in human form but there is that single horn coming out of the head... Editor: Yes, and how was that achieved? One imagines Ferri painstakingly layering oil paints, building up the surface, perhaps even employing techniques from the Renaissance masters like impasto, to capture both the smoothness of skin and the rough texture of the horn. That demands an incredible mastery of material. Curator: It also touches upon the symbolic realm of identity, wouldn't you agree? That blindfold covering the eyes creates a strong sense of hidden knowledge. He cannot perceive what the viewers clearly do: he is becoming something Other, some primordial manifestation. Editor: The very construction of this "Demone" figure speaks to me about transformations both internal and external, I almost wonder how such figures feel. But also about cultural anxieties around visibility and concealment, so I wonder what commentary Ferri wanted to address using old techniques. Curator: It leaves me contemplating the fragility of perception and the power of symbolism within art. This Demone transcends time and tradition and challenges the very act of seeing itself. Editor: Indeed, looking into this painting opened my mind and helped reflect about the work process which allowed such an appealing painting. Its technique offers insight into this allegory about visual impairment.