Bruno Di Giulio (1948) - Tramonto in mareggiata

Title: "Sunset in the Surf"
Artist | Bruno Di Giulio (Pozzuoli, 1943)
Technique: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 40 x 50 cm

Bruno Di Giulio's oil on canvas, 40 x 50 cm, presents itself as an intense marine vision at the boundary between sunset and twilight, where the sea becomes the absolute protagonist of a perpetual, vital motion.
The composition opens on a vast expanse of water driven by vigorous energy: large waves, with bellies of deep emerald-green, bend and crash forcefully onto the reddish-brown and brown rocks that emerge in the foreground on the left and right, almost framing the scene as natural backdrops. The foam, rendered with creamy whites and touches of pale pink, rises in foaming swirls, capturing the residual light of the sky and creating a luminous and tactile contrast typical of the artist's brushwork.
In the center, the horizon line appears low, almost crushed by the weight of the agitated sea, while in the background a coastal village clings to the promontory: houses stacked, roofs of reddish tones and ochre, light walls that capture the last warm gleams. The village seems to float suspended between land and water, with its compact and serene silhouette contrasting with the tumult of the waves below. Small rocky islets and patches of emergent rocks dot the sea near the shore, creating further points of rupture and reflection of light.
The sky occupies the upper part with a refined and poetic gradient: from soft pink and peach in the highest zone, to veils of lavender purple and pearl gray, descending toward the horizon in a band of clear turquoise-blue. Stratified clouds, painted with broad, soft brushstrokes, stretch horizontally, almost following the wind's movement, lending depth and breath to the scene.
Above, a line of seagulls in flight – rendered with essential and dynamic strokes – crosses the sky diagonally, adding a sense of freedom and life to the painting. The signature “B.D.Giulio” appears in the lower left, discreet yet decisive, on a shadowed rock.
The palette favors warm and cool tones in an unstable balance: the intense greens and deep blues of the sea dialogue with the pinks, salmon, and mauves of the sky, while the rocks introduce earthy and ochre tones that anchor the composition to the land. The painting is substantial, with evident body and texture that convey the weight and force of the water, yet the diffused, rosy light gives the whole a suspended, almost dreamlike atmosphere, distant from mere realistic representation, aiming at an emotional and lyrical dimension.