More then contemporary

Hayez
Gallerie d'Italia, Milan - until 21 febbraio 2016

In this beautiful exhibition you can see a version of Maddalena penitente by Francesco Hayez where there are gaps and repentance. Well, while the paintings on display are of extraordinary technical beauty, I dwell on this contemporary work, paradoxically determined by its incompleteness. One would say that for the first time I found Hayez amazing, modern, revolutionary. On the face of Maddalena sinful overlap the signs of confusion, pain, aspiration to purification. I saw that sign as something cathartic and in the same way Francis, getting rid of perfection, becomes perfect.

By Feliciano Marotta