Antonio Zambrella known as "Il Lucanino" - Madonna

The subject of the Madonna is probably one of the most popular iconographies throughout the history of both Western and Eastern art, most often represented with the iconographic motif of the Madonna and Child. The Madonna appears since the dawn of medieval painting and remained a constant subject as long as religious themes dominated artistic production (that is, until the 19th century when themes inspired by everyday life began to be introduced). The pictorial production of Antonio Zambrella, known as Lucanino, focused on female faces, through the study of which he developed his own expressionist-symbolist language.

Antonio Zambrella's female faces, not only in their primordially matriarchal subjects but also and above all in the language he uses, seem to hark back to an archaic conception of art. Indeed, there is a clear reference to Symbolist art in the way the figures are depicted generically, stripped of their individual features, to take on an iconic character. The representation, thus, transcends the contingent to take on broader meanings. Formally, Lucanino favors a composition that enhances the plasticity of the subjects, who are immersed in a concrete, yet decontextualized, space. Despite the essentially ancient character of his female figures, Zambrella manages to recontextualize his artistic language in a contemporary vein. In some cases, the artist favors acidic and fluorescent color tones.

Antonio Zambrella, known as Lucanino, was born in Bernalda in 1934. Here he began his early career as a sculptor, honing his skills over time by modeling clay. He recreated faces and objects he found around him before turning to drawing and painting as a teenager. Upon reaching Emilia-Romagna, he met his future wife. Zambrella presented Basilicata in over 120 exhibitions around the world. The Italian Academy of Arts, Letters and Sciences in Salsomaggiore awarded him the gold medal in 1978. In 1982, he received the New York Prize, the Washington Oscar in Milan in 1984, and the Golden Pantheon in Bologna. The artist passed away in the Emilian capital in 2020.

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