Nostalgia
It had been 4 years since I last went to Buenos Aires to see my family (family, friends, loved ones). I spent a month eagerly waiting to go, and I fully enjoyed the 20 days I was there. When I returned, I painted this series. It was two months of yearning for those encounters that flew by, and who knows when they will happen again.
As usual, I first paint, express on the canvas, and then realize what those images mean to me. I realize that the palette I chose represents the colors that come to mind when I think of the Río de la Plata. They are the colors of “mate”, earth, and the “hornero” bird.
“Charco” (Puddle)
Acrylic on canvas
39 x 25 in aprox – May 2023
Acrylic on canvas
39 x 25 in aprox – May 2023
That’s what we affectionately call the Río de la Plata, which is the widest river in the world. In Argentina, we also use it to refer to the Atlantic Ocean. I suppose it’s a way to deceive the unconscious so as not to feel so far away.
Here, my friend Marina, who lives in Montevideo, is present. We share this nostalgia, and being granddaughters of Italian immigrants, we also try to imagine how our grandparents felt when they changed countries.
That’s why there are two figures, one going and the other coming.
Here, my friend Marina, who lives in Montevideo, is present. We share this nostalgia, and being granddaughters of Italian immigrants, we also try to imagine how our grandparents felt when they changed countries.
That’s why there are two figures, one going and the other coming.
“Unexpected”
Acrylic on canvas
12 x 12 in aprox – April 2023
Acrylic on canvas
12 x 12 in aprox – April 2023
“Inside”
Acrylic on canvas
10 x 18 in aprox – May 2023
Acrylic on canvas
10 x 18 in aprox – May 2023
It’s going into darkness, getting lost in oneself, hiding one’s head for protection.
The river is turbid, you can’t see your feet like in a swimming pool, hence the opacity and the hardness of the reflections.
The river is turbid, you can’t see your feet like in a swimming pool, hence the opacity and the hardness of the reflections.
“Encounter with Myself”
Acrylic on canvas
39 x 25 in aprox – April 2023
Acrylic on canvas
39 x 25 in aprox – April 2023
In this artwork, there is symmetry, balance that represents the peace of that encounter. There is a comforting feeling of returning to the place where I was born, the environment where I grew up, and reconnecting with the loved ones who partly shaped the person I am today.
And from that person, a shadow falls, or a reflection like broken glass or disordered puzzle pieces.
And from that person, a shadow falls, or a reflection like broken glass or disordered puzzle pieces.
“The Departure”
Acrylic on canvas
32 x 23 in aprox – April 2023
Acrylic on canvas
32 x 23 in aprox – April 2023
It’s the toughest moment, the day when the journey ends and you have to leave. You feel that tearing in your soul once again. I thought I could represent it with a woman swimming forward (in the Western sense, from left to right), but she turns her head and looks back. She leaves a trail, fragments of herself floating behind.
“The Eternal Doubt”
Acrylic on canvas
19 x 24 in aprox – May 2023
Acrylic on canvas
19 x 24 in aprox – May 2023
What would my life have been like if I had stayed?
It’s a doubt that stagnates you, that doesn’t let you move forward, and you can’t go back because going back is impossible.
It’s a doubt that stagnates you, that doesn’t let you move forward, and you can’t go back because going back is impossible.
