I had to go all the way to Italy to find out that there exists a cousin with the same wonderful kind of personality as my grandfather but with one big difference. He likes to talk! Every time we go to Sersale, visiting HIS house is one of the highlights of our trip. He tells stories that keep everyone in the room in stitches. It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand Italian, because he patiently breaks it all down for you until EVERYONE gets it. A not so funny thing about Giuseppe is that he doesn’t photograph well. Whenever he sees a camera he assumes this stone face, hardly what you’d expect from such a sweet and funny man. Once I caught him off guard and I took a snapshot. This painting is rendered from that snapshot.
2 responses to “Giuseppe Mercuri”
The movements of the body and the hands that tell the story show how much Giuseppe loves to involve his audience. That reminded me of impressionist paintings – in Italy “Macchiaioli” if I remember correctly – those painters who went in the houses and piazzas to capture moments of real life. It is not so much the subject of the story, as the act of telling and pleasure he takes in sharing it that makes it so special – where a text does not tell all the story, a single picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words – Another great tale for the annals of painting. Bravissima!
I am one of your blog followers Mimi, and love to leave my thoughts here and you know I have expressed, through our chats and other means, how much I am looking forward to your posts which will showcase your trip, and as I predicted a delight to see what your journey albeit now artistically, has revealed so far!
You have rendered a most wonderful portrait of your much adored cousin, with the gift of entertaining la familglia… oh well we cannot posses all endearments, You would not know to look at his portrait here that he has a ‘stone face’ for the camera.
I do hope you share this portrait with him…and tell him he is ‘un tipo!’ and now immortalised candidly through your eyes as a watercolour painting.
Love it!
PS… Love the inclusion of the dog and the affectionate look he has for it.