Nicolás Di Gesù (XXI) - Postmortem with Crucifix - FRAMED

An evocative contemporary figurative oil painting by Argentine artist Nicolás Di Gesu, exploring themes of mortality, faith and the fragile boundary between life and death.

The composition depicts a reclining male figure with closed eyes, holding a small crucifix against his chest. Above his head, a delicate arrangement of pale flowers creates an almost halo-like formation, introducing a subtle tension between religious imagery, beauty and the solemnity of death. The peaceful expression of the subject contrasts with the underlying gravity of the scene, inviting contemplation on the relationship between human vulnerability, spirituality and mortality.

Executed in oil on linen canvas mounted on wood, the painting is characterised by its expressive brushwork, muted earthy palette and sensitive treatment of light and flesh tones. Its intimate scale and carefully constructed composition give the work a quiet yet compelling presence.

Drawing on the tradition of classical figurative painting, Di Gesu approaches the subject through a contemporary interpretation of religious iconography and Vanitas themes. The work evokes the visual language of Old Master painting while maintaining a distinctive and personal atmosphere.

An intriguing work for collectors of contemporary figurative art, symbolic painting, religious art and works exploring the human condition.

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Nicolás Di Gesu

Nicolás Di Gesu is an Argentine contemporary figurative painter whose work explores the tension between the human instinct for life and the inevitability of death. Based in Madrid, his practice is concerned with the fragile boundaries between existence, vulnerability and the natural order of things.

His artistic formation began in Buenos Aires, where he studied drawing and painting at the atelier of Ariel Gulluni. He later continued his training in Madrid at Atelier Madrid, under the guidance of Arantzazu Martínez and Mikel Olazábal, before becoming an apprentice and assistant to the Norwegian painter Odd Nerdrum.

Working primarily in oil, Di Gesu constructs compositions around the human figure, often drawing from found photographs, images and anecdotes that become the starting points for imagined scenes. His paintings inhabit a suspended moment between what has happened and what is yet to come. Figures emerge within landscapes, sometimes exposed to death, danger or abandonment, yet the scenes remain strangely still, withholding explanation or judgement.

Rather than treating these subjects as exceptional or unsettling departures from everyday life, Di Gesu approaches them as fundamental aspects of human existence. His attention is drawn to the emotions and images that people tend to conceal, and to the uncomfortable recognition that fragility and mortality are inseparable from the experience of being alive.

A sustained engagement with the paintings of the Prado has informed his understanding of light, shadow and the physical and psychological weight of the human figure. This dialogue with the tradition of figurative painting is evident in his considered use of atmosphere and composition, while his subject matter remains distinctly personal.

Di Gesu’s paintings ask for an attentive gaze. They do not offer easy narratives or conclusions, but create a space in which the viewer must pause, observe and confront what might otherwise remain unseen.


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