Liberaci Dal Male 2013

Curator: Here we have Roberto Ferri’s oil painting from 2013, “Liberaci Dal Male," which translates to “Deliver Us From Evil." Editor: My first thought: wings and serpents. A fallen angel perhaps, but something about the curve of her neck and that almost… knowing smile makes me question who’s holding whom captive. It’s heavy stuff, isn’t it? Curator: It does feel weighty. Ferri’s embrace of Baroque sensibilities—the intense drama, the rich color palette despite its subdued nature—lends a distinct sense of foreboding. He definitely draws upon those old masters. Look at the almost sculptural quality he achieves with the light on her skin. Editor: And those wings! They are spectacular, each feather rendered with incredible detail. But thinking materially, I’m struck by how labor-intensive such realism is, the hours and hours it takes to build up the layers of oil paint. There's almost a tactile quality achieved with such fine detail... almost like skin! How does Ferri's use of classical elements like a winged nude contrast or challenge contemporary understandings of craft and artistry? Curator: I think that’s precisely Ferri’s intrigue. He is taking these hyper-traditional techniques and applying them to really loaded, often overtly erotic subject matter. There's a delicious tension there. Is he critiquing the male gaze by reclaiming it or merely participating in it? Editor: It does feel… subversive, definitely. Though one could argue the fetishization of skill overshadows deeper critique. What’s her expression saying? Submission? Triumph? It feels so ambivalent, maybe Ferri aims to question our roles as consumer beholders of artwork through such suggestive tension. Curator: Exactly. He is provoking questions without offering easy answers. It leaves me, anyway, swirling. What does “Deliver Us From Evil” even mean here? Hers? Ours? Editor: Perhaps it’s a cyclical liberation. To face evil, and liberate from those roles and views that create it through objectification. And materially speaking, oil paint is interesting since it's a medium that is meant to last—and question across many generations to come. Curator: Precisely. Here’s to the questions that linger long after we've left the gallery.