Withered trees

from the series "Withered trees", oil and pencil on paper. 48 x 32 cm, 2004.

The structure of a tree is simple and curious: some ramifications in the air to catch the light, some branching underground to pick up the food. But branches and roots are similar: both are developed linearly, until at a certain point, following an algorithm written in the genetic code of the plant, they split, bifurcate, or are tripled, growing in space with a progress which will be sensitive to obstacles of soil or climatic conditions of the place.
The drawing of the bare branches and of the roots, flattened by the simplicity of a pattern in pencil, creates an embroidery, an imaginary warping which can be generated countless times, always different.

www.federicocortese.com

Mosaic

"Mosaic". Oil on paper, 50 x 50 cm (19.7 x 19.7 inch), 2007. Each artwork is composed with paper cutouts designed and painted individually and then glued on the main sheet. The artworks are available for sale. The price of each one is 300 US$. Don't hesitate to contact me if you are interested in more informations!

Mirko / Medusa

"Mirko / Medusa". Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 cm, 2014

From the series “Imaginary portraits”:

                                                                                          

A series of very simple small works, almost trivial: each drawing depicts a face and an expression.
Is it possible to create a catalog of all the expressions of the human face? Is it possible to classify all the attitudes that our face can take and give a name to each one? No, obviously, because the expressions are endless, as well as the possible variations in the human physiognomy, so that a certain attitude, worn by different faces, can assume from time to time different meanings. It 'a game in which the variables are too many to govern, a sort of indeterminate equation. But then, what sense can have a job like that? Indeed, it could be interesting to investigate why, who portrays the faces, has chosen these, among all the possible infinite combinations. There are some recurring elements? The expressions are mostly happy, or sad and pensive? The eyes are directed towards the observer, or are they absent, facing something hidden? Eventually, this collection of chromosomes will not be able to describe a kind of genetic code, but it will be something very close to the genetic code of the artist.

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Mirko-medusa/46606/1961947/view

Abu Dhabi

"Imaginary map of Abu Dhabi". oil on paper, 30 x 30 cm, 2014. Original sold.

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Drawing-cypher-number-20-abu-dhabi/46606/2292476/view

From the series “Code”: A map is an imprint, a sign of man in the landscape. An alien intelligence, observing our cities from the great distances of the space, could interpret them as the characters of an alphabet, sort of messages, a code of signs, each one different from the other, each with its own meaning and its own syntax. This hypothetical alien presence may not even realize that these cities have a purpose and a function, which are the product of the way we have adapted to live on this planet, but it could engage in an attempt to interpret this unknown language, identifying the alphabet and associating to each character a precise meaning. We will still be able to understand and share this new meanings, or will they have lost any sense for us?

Orange jellyfish

From the series “In the absence of God”, oil and pencil on paper, 28 x 40 cm.

ORIGINAL ARTWORK SOLD.

The medieval illustrators represented animals that they had never seen, described by others, or derived from mythology. This generated monstrous creatures. From here comes the idea of a common set of animals, which are deformed with the help of redundant decorative codes.

These artworks are made on paper overlaying subsequent layers of oil painting and pencil drawing (I often use graphite not only to emphasize the traits but as a colour itself, to fill and darken entire areas of the drawing).

www.federicocortese.com

Abandoned room

"Abandoned rooms", oil and pencil on paper. 40 x 70 cm, 2016. Original sold.

This series of paintings was inspired by the metaphysical landscapes of De Chirico. I have always been fascinated by their clear vision of the architecture, with the precise  design of the shadows, almost anticipating the modern use of three-dimensional modeling software. In the way I feel, however, more introverted and almost unsociable, the outer space is transformed into a closed one, private and protected, from which the human presence is totally gone away. In those rooms then, it may happen that some strange objects and some unexpected decorations appear, suggesting that the person who lives there has overcome the lack of relationship to the outside world with the richness and complexity of his inner world.

From the series “Naked”, pencil on paper. 30 x 40 cm, 2000 - 2004.

In some drawings made with the only use of the pencil, when the artist is able at creating the illusion of soft shadows, nuances of color, fadings, and an infinity of shades of gray, the drawing is enriched with a kind of sensuality, a subtle sense of eroticism. The viewer experiences this sensuality, when he observes the drawing, as well as the artist, when he makes it.

In this series of drawings the subject chosen is a mere pretext to practice this strange alchemy. These works are a sort of declaration of love and servitude to this instrument of representation.