SoCultures Magazine 2018 SoCultures Magazine November 2018 | Page 80

SoCultures November 2018 Culture Curators Italy Enrico Garff At that time, when I still hadn't developed much awareness of my skills and knowledge of what I was doing, the first recognition of my dawning talent came from a Lady deemed to be an art connoisseur by the pictorial circles of the time. I remember how she claimed to notice already plenty of action and dynamos embedded in my early stage drawing and painting attempts. Appreciating art In my nineteenth year, I learnt to appreciate the French impressionists and then the renaissance masters, especially Masaccio. Driven by passion and total devotion to shape and colours my pictorial ability took a remarkable leap towards a constant growing inspiration. I didn't paint to chase fame, accolades nor money, left alone one exception when at the age of 14; I remember that a compelling thought popped up from nowhere: I didn't want to end up my life anonymously or die without leaving a legacy to the world. Surely I yearned to be remembered for having delivered during my existence something of substantial value to humanity. Creating a legacy In the late 80s, I started a classical Greek-inspired cycle, portraying scenarios with sculptures in a wide range of styles, including Classical, Hellenistic, Minoic and Cycladic art. The inspiration gained from the full immersion in those historical eras was overwhelmingly corroborating: the statues appeared to take life under my brush while the mystical atmosphere of those eras captured my soul in rapture. The liberation of thoughts I never lacked the inspiration, to be honest, but during that period the creative flow was so powerful that I perceived it as an uncontrolled flow of energy streaming down to the painting. In conjunction with that blessed inspirational connection, I 80