oil painting – Sara Calcagno

The New Romantics, the need for infinity

Sara Calcagno — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 13:47:42 +0000

I love the mountains. I adore that sensation you feel, when you’re arrived at your goal and the stunning landscape all around you repays you for all your effort. What makes us overcome our limits? What makes us going always a little further and wanting to discover always new places? What is that need of adventure, that need of strong emotions and strong feelings always pushing us towards the unknown? This painting represent some of us ..those, for those is true the quote by Robert Frost “Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by. And that made all the difference”.

In this painting I wanted only two main character and one subject. The first character is for sure the amazing location in all its triumphant beauty (the Italian Alps in Aosta Valley, Italy). The second character is my model, representing all of us with the same spirit.. And here we are at the subject: the need for infinity, for new discoveries, the adventurer in the sense intended in the XIX century, the one I feel so near my soul.

About the amazing alpine landscape seen from the top of the mountains, of course is an homage to Caspar David Friedrich famous one, the Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, dating 1818. The figure represents for sure the artist, and all people like me in need for infinity with the particular adventurous spirit, with a romantic approach to life.

I am totally in love with the alpine landscapes and with the Aosta Valley, that I live since I was a child and where I have dear friends and dear memories.

The New Romantics, Painting by Sara Calcagno, oil on canvas, 76 x 35 cm

A color study of autumn colors

Sara Calcagno — Sat, 17 Oct 2020 12:33:59 +0000

Last sunday I made this little colored painting with the technique wet on wet (or “alla prima”).

The subject is a basket full of red and yellow apples. It is taken after a photo I made a couple of years ago, exactly in an autumn day like these ones.

Autumn inspires me always very much. Autumn colors, autumn lights, autumn fruits and flowers. For this reason it happens often I make some still lifes in this period of the year.

This was a very small and quick one. Some kind of simple “color study”, as I didn’t want to spend too much time on it, I gave myself only one day so I decided to concentrate particularly on colors. My main goal was to paint the warm autumn colors and autumn lights.

I enjoyed very much painting this subject and I could enjoy more only by painting the same subject from life..

Next time for sure!

Studying Todorovich

Sara Calcagno — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 22:33:49 +0000

Dear friends, just a little study after a painting by Joseph Todorovich representing a red-haired young girl outdoor in plein sun and with closed eyes. I love this portrait, I find it poetic and full of magic. If you wish to commission me a portrait, I would love to paint an impressionistic painting.. I love the feeling of freshness and colors of impressionistic portraits.

Another painting of my series “Selfies with the Masters”

Sara Calcagno — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 18:45:55 +0000

One my last projects is the one “selfies with the Masters”.. and, after a self portrait with Rembrandt and the very uncomfortable one with Caravaggio… now on my easel there is a new self portrait with a great master of the Past: Alma Tadema.

Hope you will enjoy it!