“Il figlio del Fauno” is a work on paper created in 2000 in Bali by Luigi Ontani, a central figure in contemporary Italian art, known for research that intertwines myth, identity and self-representation. The work fits coherently within Ontani’s late twentieth-century production, a period in which the artist deepened the dialogue between Western and Eastern cultures, also through long stays in Asia.
The image depicts a hybrid figure, suspended between human and mythological, explicitly recalling the genealogy of the faun, a recurring theme in Ontani’s poetics. The body, outlined with precise India ink marks and enriched with luminous watercolour fields, stands out against an essential background, articulated by soft chromatic fields. However, the work should not be read in a narrative key. On the contrary, it functions as a symbolic allegory, in which gesture, posture and anatomy become tools for reflecting on identity and metamorphosis.
From a stylistic point of view, references to the classical tradition clearly emerge, filtered, however, through an ironic and learned sensibility. Moreover, the choice of paper support and mixed technique accentuates the intimate and meditative character of the work. Not by chance, Ontani often accompanies these works with texts, monograms and autograph inscriptions, as also occurs in this case.
Description: India ink and watercolour on paper, with title, date and artist’s monogram on the reverse, H cm 48×36.
Notes: Work accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Ontani, Bali 2000.
Publication: “Ontani. Del buttare porcellini d’India a perline d’Italia”, Galleria Poggiale e Commerciale Forconi – Florence, January 2001, text by Aldo Busi, work published full-page.
Hammer Price: € 11.160,00
Auction 49 – 24 November 2021 – Modern and Contemporary Art
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