EXHIBITION

AN ALCHEMY OF MATTER

In Memorie I, Orazio De Gennaro evokes a quiet, expansive landscape where muted earth tones—soft beiges, grays, and gentle blues—blend seamlessly into each other, suggesting a land steeped in history and memory. The subdued palette and textured surface, achieved through linseed oil, pigments, beeswax, and glass powder, mirror the dreamy quality found in Memorie II. However, while Memorie II possesses an airy, almost ethereal presence, Memorie I feels more grounded, as if rooted in the land’s deeper layers, embodying a timeless stillness.

Compared to his Terra Bruciata series, where intense, compact compositions convey a visceral immediacy, Memorie I unfolds gently, inviting prolonged reflection. The restrained color palette and larger scale give the piece a sense of expansiveness, as though it captures a vast, open plain. De Gennaro’s layering of beeswax and glass powder here creates a subtle sheen, a patina of age, suggesting landscapes shaped not only by natural forces but by the weight of memory itself. This work is a tender, introspective homage to the enduring presence of place and time in the artist’s vision.