It’s a shame that people often overlook the beauty in everyday objects. . . we get used to seeing something over and over again, and forget to really look at it. When it comes to capturing that “everyday” exquisiteness in an oil painting, however, Ilaria Rosselli del Turco is one artist who doesn’t miss much.
A descendent of Florentine Renaissance painters, Ilaria was trained as an illustrator and eventually moved into oil painting. She paints portraits professionally in England and Italy, and creates still lifes and landscapes as well.
Ilaria seems most interested in painting domestic objects, which is what attracted me to her work. In the painting below, a crumpled paper bag showcases delicately-colored shadows and highlights, all of which work together to create a “white” paper bag. Next to the bag sits a wiry whisk.
Although deceptively simple, these objects are painted with angular, somewhat choppy brushstrokes that immediately lend a very appealing visual texture
I also love how you can see Ilaria’s illustration background come through in her paintings. Her soft, muted colors often feel drawn or sketched in paint, and many of her subjects are slightly outlined by a black line like the spotted pitcher below.
Mixing line and mass like that suggests the idea of a two dimensional illustration, but still “pops!” with visual depth. It’s a nice combination.
In terms of composition, Ilaria often takes her focal point and pushes it to the extreme left or right. In order to create stability, she introduces multiple smaller objects on the opposite side (like the apples above) or adds dark shadows pointingaway from the subject (as seen in the painting below).
Pushing the limits of visual balance creates a dynamic, asymmetric composition—and always adds much more visual interest for the viewer.
If you have a moment today, please visit Ilaria’s website at www.ilardt.com to experience more of her beautiful still life oil paintings, as well as her delightful portraits.
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