Seeing Peace

In general, my painting is not based on pre-established concepts. Thus, the concept of Peace, rather than being directly discernible in the narrative, is implicit and intuitive. It unfolds in a pictorial form that, pushing beyond appearances, seeks to mediate opposites so that contrasts are embraced and related.

In my figurative compositions, and particularly in the "Humans" cycle (2011–2026), a revisitation of the historic "Bathers" theme, painting is essential because it focuses on the observation of light rather than the description of the image.

Before light, even perspective coordinates collapse, and a coexistence of naked bodies emerges in the dynamic balance of relationships.

The use of nudity is not intended to be exhibitionist and is the opposite of individual characterization; rather, it serves to highlight the vulnerability of people in their common matrix: water.

The nude, not far from its ancient Greek meaning, embodies the original and universal measure and limit of the human form.

The theme of peace is explicit in "The Boxers" (2023), whose subtitle reads: "They shall no longer train for war..." (Isaiah 2:4), an allusion to the messianic era.

The combat between the two male figures, frozen in a dance-like frame, is counterpointed by the female figure walking out of the frame with her eyes closed, abandoning the scene.

It is futile to seek peace with the usual gaze, which spontaneously sympathizes with one side or the other. Rather, what is needed is a "conversion of gaze" that opens one's eyes to the contrast, no longer seeing it as a problem but as a precious opportunity for harmony.

Things must be put in order, mediated through a new, creative vision, similar to the feminine capacity for gestation.

Laura Grosso