05/12/2024
Alfredo DeCurtis' works deeply explore the complexities of everyday life, unlike Renoir, who focused on depicting the light and joyful moments in life. His paintings present the various facets and challenges of ordinary people in their daily lives, showing how they persevere under the weight of life's burdens. Through meticulous depictions of everyday trivialities, these works express a profound understanding and respect for human struggle and resilience. In his brushwork, ordinary scenes and common figures are endowed with special meaning and power, highlighting the deep emotions and the brilliance of humanity that lie behind seemingly mundane life.
During his 1986 visit to Rome, he toured many areas, including significant archaeological sites near the Pantheon. While walking as a tourist, he noticed an artist sketching live. This made him think about sketching himself, although he did not actually do so, the scene deeply imprinted in his memory. After returning to Toronto, he began working on this painting, investing a great deal of time and effort. Everything in the painting is a representation of his memory, including the somewhat artificial but memory-derived lighting. Thus, the beauty of this painting lies in the memories it conveys, which inspired his use of color, light, and all the elements within the painting.
