Ever since I came across a painting by Raffaella Manca, I haven't stopped following her with passion, as happens to everyone who is fortunate enough to see one of her works.
Her colors are captivating and draw you into a world I might call "immersive." Each painting is the first, and the explosion of life in her subjects enters my eyes and dazzles me.
So, I couldn't miss the opening of her new exhibition at Palazzo Morandi in Colleferro. The modernist building is the perfect setting for her paintings, and it's as if the colors come to life, filling the rooms and spreading positive energy.
The bright light in the room further enhances the vivacity of the brushstrokes, and the visual effect is like a gateway to a different world, where everything is possible. The geese talk, the fish fly, and the little dog Vilma is the undisputed queen.
Raffaella Manca had defined her art as "hemorrhagic" read here , then the keywords of the digital world identified it with scenes of pain, and she stopped using this adjective.
However, an urgency of life remains, found in the brushstrokes and the choice of color tones, which continues to emerge and leave the canvas, expanding into the world. I don't know if there's a way to define urgency, but her art is nevertheless a river in flood.
This exhibition is an intimate evolution of Raffaella who, alongside the female world explored in its many facets, exhibited the first male portrait I know of (her partner Giorgio with their dog Vilma) and a rich representation of the animal world.
Among the women, a tribute to Frida Kahlo stands out, recognizable even if almost camouflaged by the flowers that frame her. They share an evocative use of color and imagery.
Two paintings are dedicated to the Gaza genocide and the suffering of so many women and girls, and I must say, the contrast between the brilliance of the colors and the tragedy of the representation reminded me of Salvatore Quasimodo's poem "And Suddenly It Comes Evening":
"Everyone stands alone on the heart of the earth
pierced by a ray of sunshine:
and suddenly it comes evening."
I don't know what the evening will be like for these children, I don't even know if we can give a name to our sometimes superficial way of looking at the suffering of others without feeling compassion.
I don't know what the meaning of life on this earth is, but it is certain that we are pierced by a ray of sunshine. Only if we are capable of enjoying the light and creation will we be able to give meaning to our existence.
And Raffaella is capable of enjoying and helps us appreciate the essence of life.
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