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PROFILE
Born in Rome, Italy in 1966, Sandro Nocentini moved to Australia at the age of 27. Nocentini has developed a richly defined figurative European style of painting and sculpture over his career, heavily influenced by the Modernist movement. Prolific in painting as well as sculpture, Nocentini uses the human figure in expressions of silent storytelling. "I find body-language to be more powerful and subconsciously more effective than any words...” His figures
are unconventional in appearance, created with simple, uncomplicated
lines. "The sacrifice of aesthetic beauty is necessary for the
viewers to create and develop their own personal interpretation of the
style, the characters and the story behind the work." Nocentini's
figures are inward looking, often at rest and always silent, their focus
on the human-divine relationship. Nocentini's stories are in fact still
images of an intimate narrative. Accompanying his personal search for
a spiritual truth, many of his stories have roots in biblical traditions,
but stripped of obvious religious connotations, these are re-narrated
for a contemporary audience. Since August
1994 he has participated in a number of individual and collaborative
exhibitions in Sydney and interstate. ‘His work has been described
by the media as "the bold paintings of Sandro Nocentini''. November
1996 saw the first solo exhibition of this ''artist to watch.'' (Sydney
Star Observer). |
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critique
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"I
thought My Son has two Mothers was an intriguing painting. It could
be an account of a gay relationship but on the other hand it is probably
a Nativity scene with the two Marys present and the 3 Wise Men as geese.
It certainly has two fathers. Most obviously Picasso at the inception
of Cubism and either late Malevitch or Picabia. It is an original return
to the problem of early Modernism in the guise of Post-Modern relativity
[it uses that relativity to open up a mystery around the Virgin birth
and the identity of the picture with the style of painting]... The painting
also feels achingly sincere, while also appearing a little awkward.
This makes it immediately interesting. The two mothers configuration
could read as an archetype of the Gnostic bible! The self absorption
of this painting paradoxically adds to its public effectiveness. Two
broad classes of painting-intentionality seem to characterize Sulman
contenders; hackneyed professionalism and inadvertent amateurism. The
over-determined nature of intentionality invariably means a gap between
what is intended and what can be seen. Slight amateurism then can encompass
a tremendous potential, but only if one takes risks with the show as
a whole." Mike Parr, Artist, about awarding the 2005 Sulman
Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW - Sydney 2005 |
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"Even
a brief sampling can suggest the quality, at once poetic, rationale
of Nocentini's mind. His explosion of colours, where viewpoints and
light sources are multiplied... his touch of cubism where contours are
broken, moving away from the austere geometry, toward forms softened
by freer brush work... Sandro Nocentini's style becomes a series of
personal variations." Simonne Jameson. Art Critic - Paris 2000 |
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"Stoicizza il suo inconscio attrezzando nel presente necessarie visioni sociali , devolvendole al cosciente ripropone con ordine operosita` e inventiva. Nascente dalla sua anima orgogliosa nel dire coglie espressioni dell'uomo elaborandone i dettagli nel contesto dell'arte, totalizza i prescelti colori informandone la natura, nega ogni disordine irradiando, ovunque, speranza per la funzione del bello." Francesco Rocco Arena. Art Critic - Rome 1997 |
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