Paulo Ghiglia - Portrait

Portraiture is one of the most widespread artistic expressions, especially in painting, but also in sculpture, throughout the ages. Portraiture is, first and foremost, a description of the subject depicted, an attempt to capture their physiognomy and individual characteristics truthfully and naturally. With the progressive evolution of artistic research, the physiognomic description of the subject has also been accompanied by a psychological one. Therefore, over the centuries, portraiture has also become a means of introspective investigation of the subject, their character, and their state of mind. The processes of abstraction brought about by contemporary art have contributed to this type of investigation.

Paulo Ghiglia is an artist who has devoted himself extensively to portraiture throughout his career, offering a variety of interpretations, from the more formal to the more expressionistic. In this case, we find ourselves faced with a synthesis of the two tendencies. In what can be considered a quick portrait, we find all of Ghiglia's formal quality in the way the subject's head is drawn. It has full volume, and the facial features are clearly defined, thanks in part to a perfect interplay of light and shadow. However, the character of the entire composition remains expressionistic; the subject is delineated with a few effective and concise charcoal strokes, lending freshness and immediacy to the work.

Paulo Ghiglia was born in Florence in 1905 and died in Rome in 1979. He began painting with his father Oscar and his brother Valentino, with whom he exhibited his works in Milan in 1929. In 1929, he was introduced to the Roman art scene by Petrolini and participated in the Quadriennale. He divided his time between Florence, Rome, and La Verna, and created numerous portraits of celebrities. He also spent time in California and Hollywood, where he had the opportunity to portray celebrities. His works are found in many museums, including the Uffizi Gallery, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the La Scala Museum in Milan, the Ricci Oddi Public Collection in Piacenza, the Museum of Modern Art in Livorno, the Modern Art Gallery of Palazzo Pitti, the Balzan Foundation, and the Carima Foundation.

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