Vincenzo Raimondo - Regina e Re

The pair of works, produced with oil pastels on canvas in a 50×60 cm format, presents itself as a strongly symbolic and coherent diptych, both visually and conceptually. The two crowned figures, one male and one female, are not portraits but archetypal presences: suspended identities, faceless, constructed through fluid lines and layered chromatics.

The dark background, almost absolute, is not decorative but functional: it isolates the figures, forcing them to emerge as interior icons. The crowns, similar but not identical, become the sign of inner power, not of authority.

The use of oil pastel is bold and tactile: the colors are not laid down to please, but to create tension. The curved lines that cross the empty faces suggest movement, conflict, transformation. The absence of eyes is not a lack, it is a deliberate choice: the gaze is entrusted to the observer.

Interesting is the chromatic dialogue between the two works: they respond to one another, balance each other, and slightly contradict each other. One does not work without the other, and together they tell a duality that does not seek fusion, but balance.

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As a self-taught artist, my work doesn't adhere to a fixed style, but evolves over time and with experience.
My painting stems from observing daily life and listening to emotions.
I tackle different themes and experiment with new languages, letting each work find its own form.
My art is instinctive, essential, and imperfect, tied to the complexity of human beings and nature.
Art, for me, is not decoration but an authentic, lived presence.

In 2015 and 2016 I was a finalist in the Sunday Painters competition promoted by La Stampa, among over 3,000 works selected.
The selections were curated by a qualified jury, with critic Francesco Bonami in attendance.
The finalists were presented in a program associated with Artissima – the International Contemporary Art Fair in Turin. In 2016 I received the Critics' Prize (First Prize).