Description

This work will be entered into a competition dedicated to Salvo D'Acquisto.

Title: the look of sacrifice 

Dimensions: 50 x 35 cm

Technique: Oil and acrylic on canvas

Author: Marcella Molea

Genre: Figurative / Narrative and Commemorative Art

Description

This work was conceived as my profound and narrative tribute to the figure of Vice Brigadier Salvo D'Acquisto. Rather than focusing on a purely academic portrait, I preferred a stylistic choice that favors an evocative silhouette, capable of integrating and merging with the land and its history. At the center of it all, I wanted to highlight his eyes: black, clear, filled with a painful awareness and immense humanity, born to capture the viewer's gaze and interrogate their conscience.

I divided the canvas between the drama of earthly reality and the spiritual dimension of memory. In the foreground, I painted a barren field embodying the symbols of impending tragedy: shovels stuck in the earth, ready to dig a mass grave, and a military cap on the ground. On the sides, I placed the figures of soldiers to punctuate the tension of those turbulent moments.

​In the background, the landscape opens up to reveal my dual vision: on the left, the Torre di Palidoro, a historical witness to sacrifice; on the right, a golden sunset framing a symbolic scale. In this scale of justice, I wanted heart and altruism to overcome the oppressive weight of military duty and violence, sanctioning the triumph of love for one's neighbor over death.

​With this work, I wanted not only to commemorate a historical event, but to celebrate the immortality of a soul who chose to shield his people, leaving an indelible mark that transcends time and space.