Guardando a Sud

This superb still life, one of the artist’s favourite subjects, represents a bowl of prickly pears. But it represents far more. As the title states, Guardando a Sud, (Looking South) within this painting – and the term within is not chosen lightly – is the quintessence of all that is southern Italy: a region full of life, of abundance, of strong flavours and searing midday sun. Perfect harmony where the light seems to glow from within every substance, defining that plasticity and constant optical discovery described by Federico Zeri.