Still life to capture learning

For my New Years Greetings this year I used the painting 'Abundance' by the Italian painter Marco Gasparri - a ftriend of mine. He has mastered all aspects of the painting techniques of Renaissance and Classicism. Still life is the main subject matter of his work. He depicts ordinary things like bottles, fruit, vegetables, shells, jars, jugs and discharged objects. Was the purpose of the old masters to show off their virtuosity to depict reality, Marco goes beyond that. Each still life is a short story or statement about real life learning. The objects are placed not at random, but in a search for a composition that allows form and colour to speak. The title of the still life - in this case 'Abundance' - provides the spectator with a key to a world of deep listening, reflection and compassion. A world where nature and culture; subject and object become one.