134 http://www.AmericanArtCollector.com
1UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / STONE SPARROW NYC
Through 12/7C
lassically trained artist Francesco
Lombardo finds inspiration for
his ethereal work from the Baroque
and pentimento.
“The aspect of Baroque art that
I draw from most heavily is the
intentional use of dynamic folds
to be found in the clothing of both
painted and sculpted figures,” he
says. “I want to employ this aesthetic
and combine it with pentimento to
convey a similar sensation of spiri-
tual force that is unique to my own
work...My goal regarding painting
is to instill in the viewer a sensation
of abundant spirit, to impart vitality,
whether in the form of euphoric
rapture or brooding struggle.”
Lombardo’s most recent body of
work, Quantum Baroque, is a marriage
of these concepts with his “pop
culture understanding of quantumphysics and existing in more states
than one.”
Perhaps best representing the very
essence of Quantum Baroque is The
Annunciation of Mary—a 67-by-55-inch
oil on canvas depicting Virgin Mary
conceiving Jesus.
“The most time I’ve ever spent on
one painting was for my Annunciation
of Mary, and this piece marks a very
important milestone for me in my
career,” says Lombardo. “I really
wanted to make it representational
of everything that I was able to do at
that time. I was kind of more obsessive
about it than I have been over any
other painting.”
Quantum Baroque also includes
two more otherworldly works, Colette
and Sy.
“The inspiration guiding [Sy], and
the series as a whole, is formed fromFRANCESCO LOMBARDOBaroque Beauty
2