Gregory Sciltian - The Madonna of Sciltian

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).

Gregorio Sciltian's style focuses heavily on enhancing the plastic qualities of his subjects. The painter enhances volumes, emphasizes them with drawing, and highlights them with even lighting throughout the composition. In this way, the surfaces appear to be made of some precious, shiny material. Precisely for the purpose of fully enhancing plasticity, Sciltian eliminates any pictorial effect, achieving a style that can be described as hyperrealist, in which, however, his study of Caravaggism and Flemish painters also plays a fundamental role. In this precious silver engraving, Sciltian transfers the distinctive features of his hyperrealism to a different artistic medium, achieving the same results. Indeed, the artist's skill in engraving is on par with his painting, and the silver surface enhances the painter's dense, precious plasticity.

Gregorio Sciltian, Italianized for Grigoriy Ivanovich Shiltyan (Rostov, 1900 – Rome, 1985), was an Armenian painter. In 1919, following the October Revolution, he left Russia and settled in Constantinople. His style took shape in the 1920s, when he returned to classical figuration, studying the works of the Italian Renaissance at the Academy and in the museums of Vienna. In 1923, he moved to Italy; he opened a studio in Rome and participated in the Second Rome Biennale in 1925. Roberto Longhi presented his solo exhibition at the Bragaglia art house. The critic emphasizes the distinctiveness of a painting style that revisits the Caravaggesque and Flemish traditions with a realism of impressive photographic fidelity: a lenticular perfection achieved with a compact palette and a technique borrowed from ancient painting.

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