Pasquale Battista (1959) - La morte della storia

"The death of history" is a large-format oil on masonite work in which Pasquale Battista (Grumo Nevano, Naples, 1959) constructs a complex allegory on the relationship between memory, time, and the decay of civilization. The composition unfolds within a rigorous, classically inspired architectural framework: columns, architraves, and perspective grids mark the pictorial space, evoking an ideal of order and rationality that has long since been emptied of its original function.

At the center of the scene is a group of female and childlike figures, treated with precise drawing and a polished painterly finish, consciously evoking the Renaissance and Neoclassical tradition. The bodies, caught in postures of abandonment, protection, and emotional suspension, take on a clear symbolic value: the female figure, almost reclined, seems to embody the very idea of History as an exhausted entity, while the putti and surrounding characters suggest a fragile, uncertain continuity, lacking a defined direction.

The landscape in the background, dominated by blue and violet tones, opens onto a motionless sea and ruins, accentuating the sense of temporal distance and silent dissolution. The light, cold and uniform, helps to create an atmosphere suspended, out of time, in which the past appears as a monumental presence but now devoid of vital force.

With "The Death of History,” Battista offers a pictorial reflection with a strong conceptual core, in which classical figurative language becomes a critical instrument to examine the loss of values, the sunset of the great narratives, and the fate of collective memory in contemporary times.

Handwritten title and signature on the back. Stamp of Metopa Art Studio – Pasquale Battista.

Complimentary frame, therefore, any complaints regarding potential imperfections will not be accepted.