Divinae - Personal exhibition of the artist Elio Ticca

At the Temporary Storing exhibition at 3/5 Via 29 novembre promoted by the Bartoli Felter Foundation, the solo show of artist Elio Ticca 'Divinae' curated by Roberta Vanali will be inaugurated.

The Curator writes:

Like the depth of the sea that remains motionless no matter how agitated its surface may be, the expression of Greek figures, however agitated by passions, always reveals a great and calm soul. Illuminated to reveal the essence of Elio Ticca's Roman Holiday series are the words of Winckelmann, one of the greatest theorists of Neoclassicism. The body as a vehicle of investigation, as a theater of individual and collective unconsciousness in precarious balance between eroticism and subversion of representation. The body as Temple of the Divine.
Like an English traveler on the Grand Tour seduced by the charm of the ancient and its decadence like Piranesi, the artist brings to life scenes where architecture becomes the stage for the sublimation of the male body. Athletic, sinewy, and vigorous bodies border on perfection as they move among the ruins of Villa Adriana and the Baths of Caracalla. And when everyday objects gravitate among the naked bodies of Cupid and San Sebastian, the expressive force of the composition focuses on muscular tension, as in the naked torso with a snake, transfigured into a gymnastic tool, reminiscent of the Laocoön of the Vatican Museums, or in the god of love preparing to forcefully shoot his arrow. Elio Ticca's figures are archetypal, identifying a more intimate self-awareness as painting for the artist is self-reflection and spiritual practice. It is self-therapy and care for the spirit. Painting is the translation of emotions through forms and colors, it is the study of light, it is the mirror of the painter, and also the mirror of others; it is a revolt against life, but it is also a meditation on life.
From the Renaissance classicism of Botticelli to the Neoclassicism of David, from the tonal painting of Veronese to the sensuality of bodies by Jenny Saville. And also from the Magical Realism of Donghi and Balthus to the Surrealism of Magritte and Max Ernst, passing through the erotic photography of Mapplethorpe. The artist's stylistic grammar encompasses this and more but is above all a reflection of that distinctly Northern European atmosphere. Of that white light that differs so much from our warm and enveloping light. It is the cold northern sun that has dominated the artist's painting for a decade now.
Among sports scenes and Greco-Roman mythology against backdrops of ancient ruins, where the recurring element is identified in water, whether it be the sea, fountains, or lakes, a series of oil paintings on linen and wood unfolds alongside acrylic works on paper with backgrounds featuring marble-like patterns hosting statues playfully adorned with hula hoops. The meticulous details and their precise definition, the precision of line and skillful compositional interweaving all come together to capture the observer's attention drawn to the mastery of this eclectic artist still pondering on how to find the lost Arcadia.
Roberta Vanali