Fabio Pellicano’s artistic expression finds its roots in his deep spiritual sensitivity, typical of his character. His technical-sensorial research completes his work, giving us a feeling of suspension typical of the essence of his soul, like something that there is but that we absolutely do not know how to grasp. Pellicano, however, is not suspended in an indefinite state, but he starts from reality, and he does this through an intense research for the beauty that surrounds him: to understand the infinite dialogue between nature and man is his first source of inspiration.
This exhibition and this catalogue are entitled “Paradise Lost”, but in fact they could also be entitled “ Paradise Regained”, or in other words, a series of pictures of reality that we all know exist, but that for a wretched distraction typical of our century, we cannot see. However, Pellicano recalls our attention to everything, just when we think it is nothing; he is able to give us the atmosphere, the calm before the tempest, the paradox of what often seems to us unreal, but that is anything but fake.
The play of lights, that with knowing skill he succeeds in giving us, is nothing but a homage to what, on the other hand, remains in the dark side of his works, the most precious part because it makes of our trust the main character, that is it puts us in a condition to be sure that nothing is missing, even when it cannot be seen.
Pellicano gives visions that can arouse, in those who observe, an aesthetic experience of the sublime ( the sinuosity of the animals) contrasting with the tranquillising and at the same time fearful harmony of beauty ( the calm of the landscape) : and all this without ever threatening the spectator, but giving him a strong and unique emotion.
Pellicano’s latest works are characterised by two distinct and opposite principles: the perfect harmony of the shapes and its opposite, that is the total dissolution between boundaries and elements. In fact, in the painted landscapes the boundaries earth-air-water are annulled even though they are never called into question so that everyone that looks knows where the sky is and where the earth is. The consequence is that also in the portrait of nature and fauna, typical of the Lost Paradise, an indefinite beyond is aesthetically indicated. In this way Pellicano makes everything definite and indefinite at the same time and he does this by using exclusively pure colour, not artificial fading-out, but true paintings of reality.
Pellicano’s way of painting is never quick; the strokes are never accidental, because they are directed to the study of chromatic and luministic connections between the elements that form the composition.
The light, nearly always external, is undefined according to the artist’s choice so that we can decide if what we have in front of us is a dawn, a sunset or some other moment in that “Paradise”.
Pellicano’s greatest passion is to recall, through his pictures, past time and the beauty of creation. He lives this passion as a pioneer, trying to analyse in depth, never limiting himself to what his eyes see, but asking his artistic being to go beyond, to make more new discoveries.
Pellicano shows us, therefore, a long way, a real journey in the landscapes of Eden searching for his “io”, and he does this showing us the road that he has already travelled, not with the pretence of one who has already arrived. On the contrary: with the desire to stay always on that road which is nothing but the ideal way that draws man closer to infinity.
Luca Renna