Antonio Nasuto - L'amica geniale

Oil on burlap canvas, 60x80.

Antonio Nasuto graduates in Architecture from the University of Naples, where he subsequently completes a three-year specialization in Design. This multidisciplinary training significantly influences his visual language, characterized by compositional rigor and attention to the structure of the image.
Currently, I am a professor of Artistic Anatomy at the Academy of Fine Arts of Foggia, combining teaching activities with ongoing artistic research focused on the human body and the narrative dimension of the figure.
Exhibits in solo and group shows at the national and international level. Among the main ones: solo exhibitions at the Palazzetto dell’Arte in Foggia (2002, 2003), the group show dedicated to P. P. Pasolini at the Tribunale della Dogana in Foggia (2007), 150 Souvenirs d’Italie at the Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea “Atelier degli Artisti” in Rome (2011), Il filo di Arianna. Labirinto fisico e mentale at Palazzo delle Arti Beltrani in Trani (2011), the solo exhibition at the Palazzo Ducale Paternò Caracciolo in Pietramelara (2013), and L’ospite inatteso at Villetta Barrea (2016).

The painting is dedicated to 'My Brilliant Friend,' a series of four novels by Italian author Elena Ferrante.
The woman sitting on the red sphere represents one of the main characters, Lila, known for her enigmatic personality and her precarious balance between genius and instability. The red sphere symbolizes the passion, intensity, and challenges that characterize her life.
The arched windows overlooking the sea and Vesuvius evoke the Neapolitan setting of the novel, a place that is both beautiful and tumultuous, just like the lives of the protagonists. The second figure reading a book represents Elena, the narrator and aspiring writer, who is trying to find her balance between personal aspirations and the influences of her environment.
This painting, therefore, is a visual tribute to the complexity of human relationships and the search for identity and stability in a constantly changing world, central themes in Ferrante's novel.
Antonio Nasuto was born in Monte S. Angelo (FG) in 1960. He graduated with full marks in Architecture in Naples in 1988 and later obtained a post-graduate specialization in Design. He lives and works in Foggia, where he has been practicing as a designer for over twenty years, with a particular focus on editorial graphic design in recent years. Alongside his design work, he pursues an artistic career as a painter. His art is characterized by an in-depth and reflective vision, where each painting serves as a reflection on reality but also as an opportunity to explore and reveal the deeper meaning behind appearances. Over the years, he has developed a solid professionalism, becoming a prominent figure in the artistic scene. Known in the world of collectors, his works are part of private collections in Italy and Europe, a recognition that attests to the value and appreciation of his work. Additionally, in recent years, he has received important international awards. He is currently a professor of 'Artistic Anatomy' at the Academy of Fine Arts of Foggia.