AGOSTINO ROCCO

Agostino Rocco was born in 1971 in Padua, the city where he still lives and works. Self-taught, Rocco has devoted himself to the study of art history and the work of certain Old Masters who have become a constant and vital source of inspiration: the Tuscan and Flemish artists of the 15th century, and the French and Dutch painters of the 17th century.

Rocco is currently focused on the representation of human faces. These paintings – which are oils on paper subsequently applied to wood – make an impression through sheer virtuosity, winning our admiration for the artist’s mastery of his craft.

The faces depicted are rendered in perfect detail and transmit a surprising intensity, with the skin tones in particular incredibly realistic. At the same time, Rocco’s images stop short of hyperrealism and it is clear to the viewer that these faces spring from the artist’s imagination and not a photograph.