The nude represents for Ventrone a moment of physical reflection on the spiritual beauty of the female body and its wonderful plasticity. Therefore Ventrone creates his nudes not with the mind turned to a real-life woman, but to what women symbolize: beauty, motherliness, sacredness, youth and the natural and soft harmony of forms. What moves the artist in these paintings is a sudden inspiration, more emotional than rational, originated from the desire to portray a girl with whom Ventrone had a very strong personal bond. Coincidentally she happened to be beautiful. However, hers was not a “commercial” beauty, on the contrary it was a full and solid one. Ventrone never indulges in idealized anatomies. As Alessandra Radaelli noted: “He is able to filter the sensuality of the body, constructing it through volumes like classical architecture. Layer after layer, the velvety texture of the epidermis comes to life on the black background, captivating and at the same time untouchable. There is no complacency nor mawkishness, just rapture and the feeling of the infinite patience needed in rendering the barely noticeable wrinkles of the elbow or the silkiness of the hair.”

These nudes are essentially portraits. The models are sitting or lying down, depicted from behind or in profile against a neutral background – black or grey – that excludes any spatial or temporal contextualization. The settings are brightly lit by sudden flashes and intense rays of light that the paintbrush captures on the canvas, crystallizing a moment of life and making it eternal. At the same time giving the artist the chance to express his unparalleled ability in offering the viewer an effortless and vivacious psychological analysis of the sitter. - Essay by Cesare Biasini Selvaggi

Albemarle Gallery
49 Albemarle Street
London W1S 4JR United Kingdom
Ph. +44 (0)20 74991616
info@albemarlegallery.com
www.albemarlegallery.com

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From 10am to 6pm