Nicoletta and Patrizio (Blue Bed), 2023

Patrizio di Massimo, Nicoletta and Patrizio (Blue Bed), 2023; Oil on linen, 204 × 154 cm

In Nicoletta and Patrizio (Blue Bed),  Patrizio di Massimo depicts himself and his wife in bed, wrapped in blue satin. The two lay side by side, holding the blanket over the lower half of their faces. As if gazing directly at the viewer, their eyes pierre over the duvet. 

Patrizio di Massimo’s most intimate paintings feature his friends, acquaintances, and family – characters who are richly clothed as main actors and presences with strong identities, through portrayals exploring the interpersonal complexities of life that are brought to dramatic composition. His analysis of roles assigned to us, such as those of gender and family, is scrutinizing but never objectifying or judgmental, mirroring a vision of the world and its imperfections as well as its beauty.