Disinvolto

$3,800.00

Collection: the chaos of life

This work is a «combination of impatience, sarcasm and innovation»

I cannot say it is abstract nor expressionist.

My character comes out of my imagination, from the reality that surrounds me…

The exaggerated detail has a sarcastic content in itself.

I summarize with a few traits, those aspects that make that person unique compared to the generality”

Valentina Iacovelli

  • Artist: Valentina Iacovelli
  • Dimensions: 150 x 150 cm
  • Medium: Oil and acrylic on canvas
  • Key Theme: Human connections
  • Visual Impact: Sarcasm
  • Certificate of Authenticity: Included
  • Style: Abstract expressionism

This dynamic mixed-media painting immediately draws the viewer’s eye to a swirling array of faces that drift in and out of focus against a warm, beige-colored background. Bold, black brushstrokes punctuate the composition with gestural lines that trace the contours of multiple profiles, each appearing to emerge from or melt back into the painting’s broad planes of color. Upon closer inspection, a subdued yellow hue plays an important secondary role, seeping through and around each figure to underscore the emotional resonance of these ambiguous, fluid shapes. Splashes of white serve both to highlight certain facial features and create a sense of depth, as if some faces are stepping forward while others retreat into obscurity.

One of the painting’s most striking aspects is its multitude of overlapping faces, some only partially visible, their expressions capturing a range of sentiments that seem to run from pensive to anxious to quietly contemplative. In the upper portion, for instance, elongated faces curl toward the canvas’s center, their open mouths and hollow eyes suggesting the voicing of secrets or a wordless cry. Elsewhere, eyelids are painted in thick, black strokes, giving them a heavy-lidded quality that hints at weariness or introspection. Together, these disparate features create an almost cacophonous conversation, as if each face is a separate personality either vying for attention or quietly observing the turmoil of others.

The background itself, rendered in layered washes of beige and punctuated by swirling movements of gray, forms a softly agitated environment. Where the paint thins, pencil lines or underdrawings occasionally peek through, adding a sense of vulnerability and transparency to the artwork. The scattered patches of yellow seem to flow into the black, forging an interplay of light and dark that amplifies the emotional tension within the image. The technique here is spontaneous yet deliberate: drips of paint and splashes of color intentionally break from the strict outlines of the faces, suggesting that nothing in the painting is fixed or static.

Adding to the painting’s sense of mystery is the way certain figures distort or merge, leaving it up to the viewer’s imagination to discern where one face ends and another begins. At times, the features look animalistic, hinting at primal instincts or unspoken desires that lurk beneath human expressions. A sloping, abstracted face near the lower right corner seems to possess feline-like eyes and faint whisker lines, though it remains uncertain whether it is meant to be a creature or a human wearing a mask. This ambiguity lends the work a shape-shifting quality that encourages each viewer to interpret the imagery through their lens.

From a compositional standpoint, the painting cleverly balances areas of bold, thick-laden paint with more translucent washes, creating an ebb and flow of density that guides the eye in a circular motion. The largest faces appear diagonally across the canvas, anchoring the piece with weighty presences, while smaller ones nestle in the negative spaces in between, demanding a closer look. This interplay of scale magnifies the sensation of an overlapping chorus, each face an echo of an inner feeling or thought.

Overall, the color palette reinforces the painting’s emotional complexity. The relatively neutral beige might ordinarily be calming, yet within this context—sprayed with vigorous black lines and slashes of white and yellow—it resonates with unsettling energy. The black brushstrokes appear raw and spontaneous, as though sketched in a moment of intense feeling, while the hints of yellow convey a sense of light glancing through storm clouds. Together, these qualities evoke both shadow and hope, darkness and clarity, conflating them into a single rich tapestry of sensation.

To stand before this artwork is to engage with multiple realities. It suggests a collective mindscape where thoughts and feelings intermingle, pressing at the boundaries of identity. Indeed, the faces here seem less like distinct individuals than facets of a single psyche, fragments of emotion brought to life through color and line. The effect can be both riveting and disorienting—an invitation to explore the layered complexity of the inner self. In this sense, the painting is a raw, expressive testament to the power of gestural art. It celebrates the interplay of light and shadow, the ephemeral glow of color amid darkness, and the startling revelation of so many masks, each one reflecting a different aspect of our shared human experience.

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