An exhibition with a strong emotional impact is ‘The Forgotten’, created by the Forlì artist Vincenzo Baldini and on display until June 29th at the Oratory of San Sebastiano, in Forlì.
The visitor will be particularly struck by the strength of the brushstrokes with which the portraits of the characters were created: they are large-format works, but with synthetic forms capable of communicating a human condition or an emotion.
In these works Baldini prefers the use of dark brushstrokes, sometimes fast, which communicate the harrowing situation of the character and make the image vibrate with strong intensity.
It all started following letters written by patients of psychiatric clinics to their relatives, but not sent and, consequently, never read. The same fate befell the composer Eric Satie, in whose house, after his death, hundreds of letters from his acquaintances were found and never opened. By bringing these abandoned texts to light, Baldini wanted to restore a face and a voice to these forgotten souls, restoring their lost humanity. These letters described the profound existential loneliness in which the authors found themselves and their desperate desire to have contact with the outside world.
Baldini’s works have become a ‘mirror of the soul’, as are the dark backgrounds, the gray and brown colors that express the sense of isolation.
Next to the portrait of each face there is a word or a short phrase taken from the letters: Baldini intended to restore to these characters forgotten by society the humanity of which they had been deprived.
The exhibition, with free entry, can be visited at the following times: from Monday to Sunday 10am-12.30pm and 3pm-7pm.
Rosanna Ricci
