This series of landscapes commemorating the hills of Tuscany is most notable for the peculiar dynamics acted out by the trees. The artist achieves a powerful sense of movement through complex linear winding, but not only: almost every trunk, and sometimes branch, begins with one color but ends with another. The juxtaposition of hues, as well as directions of the main lines describing the trees, produces an effect of constant movement and change — and conflict. I think that the mobility of the growth is unusual and high enough as to mark it as the protagonist, an almost living character in the series. (I am not very fond of such formulaic conclusions, where the plot, or some other structural element is assigned the role of the principal actor, even though allegorically, but this time the comparison seems more than justified.)
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These drawings are a part of a fascinating series of nudes presented as angels. Actually, some of the depicted models do not possess wings, but the effortless synthesis of this characteristic divine feature with the human body where they do, causes the viewer to overlook this shortage when they don’t. In other words, the idea of the accretion becomes ingrained in our mind, and continues to affect our perception throughout the series. So powerful is this idea, that some notable effort is required to notice that the wings are missing; and after that, the drawing may seem deceptively incomplete. It’s as if the artist induces an unintentional optical illusion.
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Alessandro Andreuccetti is an Italian painter and illustrator who employs acrylic paint, water-color, gouache and ink in his work, displayed on his website and blog. Some of his pieces careen towards the avant-guard, exhibiting conceptual and surreal qualities, but most of his artistic output is situated within the traditional framework of landscape, cityscape and people representation, where he strives to express himself in “new perfectly independent compositions.” In my opinion, he achieved his goal at least from one aspect: the illusion of space and volume, and in this review I would like to focus on how these features stand out in his haunting land and cityscapes.
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I would like to pick up the idea of electricity from the previous review and see how well (very well) it fits into this landscape (hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York — and you will find an interesting thematic essay on this website). The raptured, electrified sky casts a distinct white glow on the city below. As it often occurs, the turbulent weather translates into an according inner sensation of fear and danger. The view presents an unwelcoming sight, which, however, conceals a certain charm and mystery — a fairy tale narrative quality that lures the beholder inside the vision. The composition plays an important role in this seduction: the line of the wall chalks out the ascent, where the cathedral and the royal palace appear to almost touch the stormy skies; this compositional apex promises a reward in the form of a visual feast — a lightning deeming itself an explosion, or a firework. The hole right in the middle of the cloud simultaneously channels and releases the tension.
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I think that (the painting hangs in the National Gallery of Art, Washington) the saturnine mood displayed by the faces seeps into the bodies, even that of the animal. The elongated, sinewy physique of the beggar appears to be melting, flowing downwards, as if unable to resist the gloomy sentimentality of the scene. The horse’s self conscious and inward gaze becomes the third angle of the imaginary triangle that connects the three pairs of eyes; its unsure, timid stamping accords with the general mood of a tense and meaningful moment. The artist employs an interesting, perhaps slightly ironic, compositional trick by placing the animal’s hind legs near the beggars elegant lower limbs (both are bony). This irony may be the only point of emotional rest in this painting, and it is not accidentally located at the lower part of the canvas, implying the hierarchy of comedy and more serious modes of psychic experience, manifested by those faces.
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