Vincenzo Raimondo - Cappello

Title: Hat
Technique: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 60 × 90 cm


Cappello is an oil painting that openly engages with the theme of the female body, without slipping into easy decoration or shouty eroticism. The figure is fragmented, cut with decisiveness: the face is missing, the identity remains suspended, while the attention concentrates on the gesture and the physical presence.

The red hat, the central element of the composition, becomes much more than a simple accessory. It functions as a chromatic and symbolic counterpoint, introducing a dialogue between protection and revelation, between what is shown and what is taken away from the gaze. The warm red disrupts the balance of the fleshy and earthy tones, drawing the eye and guiding the reading of the work.

The brushstroke is free yet controlled, with soft transitions and visible layers that give depth to the skin and the background. There is no pursuit of hyperrealism, but an expressive figuration, where the mark remains alive and declared. The vertical composition reinforces the sense of intimacy and proximity, almost as if the observer were too close, deliberately engaged.

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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).