Requiem 2013

Roberto Ferri painted this oil on canvas called Requiem in the twenty-first century, and it speaks to a renewed interest in classical themes. The Italian artist draws heavily from the Baroque period. In Requiem, we see figures reminiscent of those in Caravaggio’s paintings – theatrically lit and highly sensual, with a naturalistic but idealized body. In Italy at the time, the art world was dominated by conceptualism, minimalism, and arte povera. Ferri represents a resurgence of classical techniques, and yet he does so in a self-consciously contemporary way. The artist is concerned with timeless themes of death, mourning, and the human condition. In approaching such a painting, the art historian investigates how the artist draws on past traditions but also how the painting relates to today’s socio-political context. We can research the artist’s own statements, consider the critical response to his work, and compare the painting to a broader trend in contemporary art.