Rolando Nicodemi (1922-2014) - Melagrane secche e campanaccio

Author: Rolando Nicodemi
Title: Nuts and Drumsticks
Year: 1992
Dimensions: 40 x 30 cm
Support: Canvas
Technique: Oil on canvas
Signature: “Nicodemi 92” in the bottom left corner
Provenance: Private Collection
Subject: The canvas presents to us a still life. The genre, which is favored by the painter, accompanies us toward an essential painting that shows its adherence, in terms also of recent years, to a delicate predilection for the metaphysical nature of the painting. Metaphysical, which the painter feeds on, can be ascribed to that of important artists who worked in the Emilia-Romagna land; we are talking about artists such as Carlo Carrà, Giorgio Morandi and especially Filippo de Pisis. These artists seem to have been the masters of the painter Nicodemi, who has managed, in more recent times, to translate the plastic lesson that accompanies a return to order and color. Beyond this, Metaphysical painting is recognized for its ability to find clear and sharp representations of philosophical concepts devoted to grasping the essence of things.
Style: Rolando Nicodemi handles painting material with great rigor and essentiality, without neglecting the aesthetic aspect. The composition is well calibrated, where all objects find their dimension. The painting is very delicate, leaving space for shadows that heighten its depth. Linked to this are tones that emphasize the softness of the painting. Moreover, the formal solidity plays with the painting tones of a cold ball.

Artist: The artist Rolando Nicodemi was born in Ferrara in 1922 and died in his city in 2014. The characterization of Rolando Nicodemi’s painting certainly has roots in 20th-century plastic art, where movements such as Metaphysical came to the fore, rediscovering the conceptual essence of the still life.