Viola

After posting my website on facebook I got the request to blog on Viola, the painting which I show below.

The painting was commissioned for a permanent exposition in Casole D'Elsa (near Siena). I was given the size (100 x 50 cm) and free choice of the subject. It is not easy to find an appropriate picture for such a rectangular size. If it had been horizontal it could have been  a good size for a landscape but that was not the case. I thought a portrait would work better for the job so I took some pics of my niece Viola. It was a sunny day in the country house where she lives. The wooden floor lit by the sun made the atmosphere very warm. I told her to pose in many ways and she was just obeying me without really understanding what was going on. In the pose I liked, she was like caught unexpectedly. Looking at it now I realize that the closed book in her hand suggests the book of life that she still has to open because of her young age. Her eyes seems to ask for suggestions or approval (the perspective is clearly from top to bottom so that the watcher is put in a dominant position). Any other interpretation is welcome! By the way the painting was appreciated by my sister (her mother) so that I had to make another one for Casole D'Elsa. I will post about it some other day! I'll have dinner now.
Ciao!