Technique: Oil on canvas (with antiqued bronze frame and passepartout)

Dimensions: 77x77 cm

About the Work:

With this square-format canvas, I wanted to invite the viewer on a zenithal journey to one of the most fascinating, magnetic, and geologically vibrant places in my homeland: the Solfatara of Pozzuoli and its endless view of the gulf. As you can see in the file 1000634455.jpg, I wanted to structure the composition with a sharp chromatic and emotional contrast.

The primordial force of the volcano dominates in the foreground: I used warm tones, ochre, and whitish hues to convey the texture of the sulfurous earth, with its smoke and age-old furrows. Immediately beyond, the vegetation thins out to make way for the vastness of the sea. A deep, intense blue envelops the coast, where I sketched the unmistakable outlines of the Phlegraean coast and the islands on the horizon, almost suspended in a thin atmospheric haze. Through vibrant oil paint, I sought to convey the duality of this landscape: the chalky, arid texture of the caldera contrasted with the rejuvenating fluidity of the water. The work is enhanced by an elegant passepartout and an antiqued bronze frame, which I personally selected to enhance the painting's warm tones.