Nicole Miceli
Volti Viventi
Nicole Miceli
“Volti viventi” is the Italian translation of the Latin phrase
%“vultus viventes” % with both meaning “living faces” in English. The
phrase is popular in Renaissance scholarship, referring to
portraiture said to be alive.
This principle, as well as my time studying abroad in Florence
Italy, is the guiding force for my senior thesis exhibition. In Italy I
encountered Renaissance art on the daily, quickly falling into a
deep fascination with the period. As I learned the history of the old
masters, I also adopted their techniques studying oil painting at
Florence University of the Arts.
Volti Viventi is a portraiture series that honors the important
people in life. All of the figures in my paintings are modeled after
friends, family, and even myself. The scenes of the paintings are
informed by Renaissance themes and motifs, particularly religious
imagery and representation of women. I seek to translate these
subjects into my own style, focused on creating homages to the
period rather than explicit recreation.
The exhibition features five oil and acrylic paintings; %Venus in
her Bedchamber, Madonna and Child, A Portrait of Friends, Mary
Magdalane,% and Judith and her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes.
In addition to these paintings I have created colored pencil
illustrations highlighting each of the protagonists from the
paintings.
Volti Viventi is the culmination of the experiences and
education I had in Florence. The city’s history taught me the
importance of capturing the human soul in art and gave me the
ambition to pursue this exhibition. Special thanks to my models;
my mother Christine, Tracy, Lily, Johanna, Sara, Sam, and Dakota.