Mater Matuta 2020

Editor: This is "Mater Matuta," a 2020 oil painting by Roberto Ferri. The figures and dramatic lighting create such a theatrical and frankly, bizarre scene. What can you tell me about it? Curator: It’s interesting how Ferri engages with historical allegory through the specific lens of materiality. Oil paint itself has a long, charged history, closely tied to wealth and power through patronage. Consider the layers of production in a painting like this: the grinding of pigments, the preparation of the canvas, and the labor-intensive process of applying glazes. Editor: So, you’re looking at the physical work behind it. What does that tell us? Curator: Absolutely! Look at how Ferri manipulates traditional techniques, like underpainting. It calls back to Old Masters while subtly subverting that historical context with contemporary subjects and surreal imagery. Do you notice how the halo around the female figure, rendered with such stark brightness, contrasts with the overall somber tone? Editor: It really pops. It almost feels...manufactured. Curator: Exactly! This ties into ideas around consumption. Here's a modern artist engaging with, and therefore consuming, art historical traditions. Consider the socio-economic implications. Who gets access to this imagery? Who can afford to acquire art like this? The "high art" elements are obvious, but the undercurrent of surrealism and those contemporary features begin to breakdown those older structures of exclusivity. Editor: So, it's not just *what* is depicted, but *how* it’s made and consumed. That adds another layer. I originally just saw a nude allegory with some jarring figures, but I see the process is also communicating a kind of consumption, a material argument through production and visibility of production. Curator: Precisely. It challenges a simple read by complicating that artistic transaction and our role as a consumer of art.