The Essence of Lightness
On October 24, 2018, Nello Petrucci, an Italian artist from Pompeii, presented another one of his mesmerizing artworks: The Essence of Lightness.
The piece, which was inspired by Petrucci’s life in Pompeii and background in the film industry, took up a full wall on the 45th floor of 3 World Trade Center. Surrounded by the panoramic views of New York City, Petrucci took over six months to complete the piece., even relocating here to dedicate all of his creative focus and direction into manifesting his work.
The artwork, which more closely resembles an installation due to its unusual size and location, remains true to Petrucci’s fashion of creating collages using movie posters, brush strokes and several layering techniques.
Just as with his previous work, The Pompeii Collection, Petrucci used film, concert and ad posters as a base for The Essence of Lightness. He walked around New York City and tore down old and new posters. After completing the collection process, he began the intricate layering process. Two or more additional images or posters were added, followed by strokes of paint. As with The Pompeii Collection, Petrucci included some parts of Pompeii within his work through photos of the Pompeii paintings on the surface, fusing them with the layers of posters.
Yet, what is unique about The Essence of Lightness is the continuous motif of butterflies. If looked at from a distance, an observer might not notice that there are butterflies spread out from the beginning to the end of the painting. However, once an observer gets closer, they will realize that the butterflies are flying through the painting, representing time.
According to Petrucci, the beginning of the artwork represents the past. It represents the history of Pompeii and various thoughts and experiences that we, as human beings, lost sight of. The middle of the painting represents the present. It is everything that we are experiencing at the moment, whether it is delight or worry, we are living in the moment. The butterflies get higher and spread wider as you approach the end of the painting. The end represents our hopes and dreams for the future. If the observer steps back and takes a look at the overall piece, it is reminiscent of the course of life and everything we have experienced, are going through and shall expect.
Overall, The Essence of Lightness was an innovative way to represent such an intense and magical piece. Surrounded by the night skyline of New York City, it becomes almost surreal and yet Petrucci managed to conquer it all and spill it on canvas.
The Essence of Lightness is not available to the public at the moment, but here is a short clip about the making of the fascinating installation.
Nello Petrucci: The Pompeii Collection
In Ancient Greek, “Καιρός,”(kairos) is defined as a critical moment in time. It therefore is the perfect name for the newest artistic project created by Italian artist, Nello Petrucci. Presented at the ArtExpo in New York City this past weekend, the “Pompeii” Collection pays homage to Petrucci’s origins and current residence: Pompeii, Italy. The collection also included elements of the ancient artwork that was originally located inside the ruins of the early Pompeii homes.
“Nello and I are from Pompeii,” said Giovanni Boccia, the CEO of Contemply Art Gallery, who also represents Nello Petrucci’s work. “Millions and millions of people come from around the world to visit Pompeii and see the ruins of the city which were caused by the volcano.” Pompeii, a city which was once considered one of the most technologically and culturally advanced cities in the world, was vaporized by Mount Vesuvius, a volcano near the Bay of Naples in 79 A.D. . The catastrophe resulted in the deaths of thousands , as well as loss and damage of artifacts. However, the millions of tons of volcanic ash acted as a marvelous preservative; underneath all that dust were artworks that were once displayed in the Roman city homes. The city of Pompeii and its rich history allow millions of current residents and visitors to witness the marvelous art first-hand. However, as the official records were erased, the names of the artist artists remain unknown.
The mystery of who is the mastermind behind the most fascinating pieces created in humanity’s time served as the point of origin for Petrucci’s project. “In Greece, for example, you know about this culture and you know who made it; we know the names of the artists. But in the ancient times, such as during Pompeii, there is no artist. We do not know who the artist was. There were no names behind these paintings,” said Petrucci. “I wanted to know who the artist was and that was the start of my project. I had a very big task of taking the work from the past and incorporating it into my work with my technique, with my style, and with my identity.” Therefore, the Pompeii project was born.
During his research, Petrucci noticed one gripping detail: the faces, bodies, and lifestyle depicted in the works of Pompeii’s artists have not changed from 2,000 years ago. “If you study [the paintings], you will see that they're completely modern,” said Petrucci. “We brought everything from the ancient times. Nothing has really changed. The technology changed, but nothing else has. The concepts remain the same. Pompeii gives you expression and style of life. In the modern world, you can send a text, but back then it was graffiti. I want to know about the past. Because life is the same. It's just a different time. But life has remained the same as 2,000 years ago.”
With the idea of ancient, yet, contemporary, as well with the aim to preserve the historical elements and add the “Petrucci touch,” it took Nello Petrucci two years to complete the Pompeii collection. The main challenge faced by Petrucci was how to bring the unknown attributes of Pompeii and its artists onto the world stage, while incorporating his own philosophy into the work. “Nello wanted to do something for these artists. He wanted to attribute them by bringing the artworks from the inside of Pompeii to the rest of the world,” said Boccia. “It is strange because the connection is very beautiful, these paintings come back, but they come back with the name of Nello Petrucci. All people in the world can now share how amazing and how beautiful these artworks are. But now they have a name on them: Nello Petrucci.”
The Pompeii Collection is indeed a rare piece of art magic. Prior to fully devoting his time to art, Petrucci also attended a film school, and worked as a set designer, actor, and cameraman. The artist starred in the film, The Fallen, while also working with Martin Scorsese on the New York classic-The Gangs of New York. The mixture of creative directions resulted in Petrucci using movie posters as a base for all of his paintings. He purchases original movie posters, tears them down, and begins to work with layers by adding two additional posters or images, followed by marvelous strokes of paint. To finalize his artwork, Petrucci adds photos of the Pompeii paintings on the surface, fusing them with the rest of the piece.
Petrucci’s work is truly remarkable and unique. “I met Nello and I thought to myself, ‘I need to take you into my team. I am crazy about your artwork.’ He's a true artist,” said Boccia. “Sometimes you see some artists who do something because they think, ‘Well I just want to make a painting that will sell my work. I know that if I make something really important then I will become famous.’ Nello is totally crazy for the art itself. Just look at his work.”
Indeed, Petrucci’s art captivates. It certainly speaks to the name of “Καιρός,” because Petrucci takes the past and the present and blends it to create the right moment in time. The subjects in his paintings are all drastically different and yet somehow, Petrucci draws a comparison between the women of Pompeii and the actresses on the poster layered underneath. It reaches an extent when any individual looking at Petrucci’s work begins to question if they might look like the subjects depicted. “Change the photography, change the makeup, change the outfit,” said Petrucci. “You will realize: it is all the same.”
If you are interested in purchasing artworks from Nello Petrucci’s collections, including the “Pompeii” Collection, visit http://www.nellopetrucci.com/home_en.php and https://www.contemply.com for more information.