When photography was still in its infancy, painters were continuing their craft, which stretches back several millenia, as evidenced in the earliest cave drawings. It is a craft which is also universal, being found in virtually all cultures. Painting not only testifies to the daily life of the common man, but to historical personages and events which often shape a culture. While photography has spurred painting to branch out into a realm which explores the shapes of things, painting has further continued to refine the figurative. In a period where one is bombarded by images from the media and internet, the painter Giovanni Rapiti choses figurative expression in order to explore concepts. His works show an attraction for mental introspection, exploring the relationships and tensions between people, the sexes, and nature and technology.
Having lived some years in a communal atmosphere where the spirituality of the Vedic as well as other Eastern philosophies have influenced his personality, he is predisposed to examine the human spirit in his work, though not losing sight of the personal psyche with its unique mental dispositions. He often explores this tension between spirit and psyche through the interactions between the male and female subjects in his paintings. What emerges are the differences and incomprehensions, the solitude and searching, loves and jealousies, the mysteries.
In a world where Consumerism is rampant, the individual can become obscured and runs the risk of flattening his existence, treading on his true values and depriving his own mind of the authentic emotions which balance life. The message in his paintings is critical, requiring keen observation and inquiry. Interpretations of his works can be many and varied, with everyone seeing his own truth--sometimes obvious, sometimes ambiguous, sometimes discomforting. The viewer who is mindful will be emotionally moved, his life better balanced.
Giovanni Rapiti (1954 - ) was born in Italy, currently residing and working between Tuscany and Umbria.
Giovanni Rapiti joined Pixels.com Licensing on January 11th, 2009.
