Carla Pugliano @ Rome Art Week

Carla Pugliano

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With a tumultuous and restless nature, the desire to paint has emerged spontaneously and assertively over time for Carla Pugliano, evolving into a primary and indispensable source of nourishment for her soul. It serves as a means of detachment from the routines of everyday life. In the illusory challenge of capturing time and living one's inner self through the act of creation, she has embraced this "sacred need" through continuous experimentation, sensing the urgency to express herself through the medium of painting, ultimately rediscovering a natural dimension of her existence.

Her early works reflected an Impressionistic style, but later, influenced by Baroque art, she delved deeper into her artistic exploration, embracing Romanticism, Academicism, and Symbolism in her painting. Right from her initial appearances, she garnered favorable recognition from both the public and critics, motivating her to continue her artistic journey. Among the recent milestones in her path, in 2020, she pursued an international Master's program under the guidance of Maestro Roberto Ferri, solidifying her love for figurative art. In 2021, she received acclaim from Professor Vittorio Sgarbi, who presented her in a solo exhibition held in the heart of Rome. In 2022, she showcased over 30 of her works at the UNESCO site of Sacro Monte, receiving recognition from Daniele Radini Tedeschi (an art historian and curator of the Venice Biennale) and Rolando Bellini (a professor at the Accademia di Brera and Turin, an art critic, and a museologist at the International University of Art in Florence). In 2023, she held another solo exhibition in her hometown, generating significant attention and further accolades.

Beyond her prolific artistic endeavors, Carla Pugliano has played an active role in the art world and has contributed in various ways to its promotion and development. She has acted as a curator of art events, collaborating with local authorities to organize exhibitions and art shows. Additionally, she has shared her artistic expertise by serving as a judge on evaluation committees for various competitions. She has also participated in numerous prestigious national and international exhibitions, establishing her significant presence in the contemporary art scene. These include the 2023 Biennale di Lisbona - Arte Cristà, the XIV Florence Biennale 2023, the Biennale di Milano - International Art Meeting, and the Milan Art Design Week. Her works have been showcased in esteemed institutions such as the Fondazione Modigliani in Rome, Villa Reale in Monza, the Museo del Cedro in Santa Maria del Cedro, and the Embassy of Bahrain in Rome, as well as the Museo dell’Acqua in Laveno and the Galleria Milanese – Brera.

Among her notable achievements are the "Premio Luigi Predetti," the "Premio Internazionale d'Arte 'Maestri a Milano'," and the prestigious "World Best Artists Prize 2023," an international recognition dedicated to artistic excellence.

Vittorio Sgarbi (Excerpt) The author's skillful technique lends an immediate attraction to her works. The naked or semi-naked body of the subject seems to be her obsession in every piece... An unrelenting search for bodily postures capable of conveying emotions in motion, capturing the very essence of emotion in flesh. The result is astonishing. Every detail on the canvas is a "note" that harmonizes with the whole. The observer's empathy is immediate. We recognize the poses the subject assumes because they belong to us; we have experienced them or seen them in others... The colors and painting technique emphasize the realistic aspect of the work, transferring the narrative to a mythological elsewhere. ...Verbum caro factum est, that's how I would title that journey. The transition Pugliano makes is the next step, from the body to representation, which is the task of art. The author doesn't forget the invisible, the spirit of things, emerging from the contortions of the bodies, true choreographies that transform the story into dance, and then music. It was Schopenhauer who distinguished music from other arts because it no longer contains any reference to the concrete world, and its language is universal. That's the sensation one experiences when encountering these works. The forms of those bodies vibrate until they compose a sound. From sight to hearing, this is the "sense" the observer uses while succumbing to the fascination of the images, and the rhythm insinuates itself into the intimacy of the viewer, that place where there are no forms because they are all dissolved. It's the realm of madness, of emotion, where Woman has always resided. It's there that logos finds no dwelling. It's the realm of Love. The author has dwelled in that place and has told us what she has experienced, what she has been through.

Daniele Radini Tedeschi (Excerpt)Carla Pugliano's production conceals a meticulous "Warburghian" analysis of art history in relation to contemporaneity... In an unwavering balance of technique and creativity, Pugliano's art draws inspiration from masters of every nationality, transcending Pre-Raphaelitism to achieve more eclectic influences... Amidst the folds of expertly rendered drapery, one recognizes an anatomical attention to limbs, marked by protruding ribs and vertebrae, never mere virtuosic representations but rather reflections of the inner turmoil of the subjects. The bodies appear contracted or stretched, visual projections of the psyche. Portrayed before the observer are ecstatic or conflicted depictions of the Self, folded upon itself in protective poses. Human spirit and panic simultaneously, the characters meld with the natural elements, reflecting their tribulations, where even still lifes sometimes become companions of cosmic pessimism, bearers of human suffering. Throughout her production, the figures never appear completely from behind; at times, profiles are used, leading to dramatic frontal depictions... The artist weaves a love story with color, and more than concerning herself with the scene, the narrative, or the subject, she is keen on addressing solitude, abandonment, and melancholy. Painting then becomes a journey into the deepest emotions, where Pugliano leaves behind her most intimate traces, giving others the sound of her footsteps and her fears... in Pugliano's paintings, the quality of the skin tones emerges at a very high level through the various glazes and middle tones, an epidermis treated with truly remarkable skill, and this is important because the skin tone is the part of the painting that represents tradition and therefore realism, but then there is the subject, which often derives from mythological themes or the artist's ideal forms and visions, connecting to a more surreal matrix. Around this, we see backgrounds that sometimes have an abstract character, and so these three elements that come together lead the painter to be very original... Carla's art is not self-referential but is art directed towards everyone, towards people... the perfection of mastery and painting technique is fine, but there must be a beautiful message behind it, and Pugliano's message, so incisive and impactful for our times, makes her an important figure in contemporary art...