Il Farnesino / Servus

Painted in: Rome 

Author's comment: 

The original title of this work was "Il Farnesino", understood as "diplomat", employee of the Farnesina: a work that I thought about creating way back in 1980 when a collegue of mine, referring to a higherarchical superior in the diplomatic career, said, in Roman dialect: "He's got a face like an ass!".

At the time I didn't understand exactly what it meant, but that expression struck me so much that I decided that one day I would dedicate a painting to it (to the expression, of course!): a work that I created after about twenty years. In this period of time, however, I realized that these individuals have the gift of acting towards others in a diametrically opposite way: they are arrogant towards those who play an inferior role in society and servile towards anyone, in society, playing a more important role. 

Consequently, in front of a hierchically inferior collegue they behave as if they were beings superior to God; before hierarchical superiors, politicians, and the "most powerful" in general, they crawl like worms.

This is a cancer genetically present in the majority of those who enjoy a status in the social stratification (think of how a butler behaves towards other servants!).

I renamed the work, therefore, adding, in Latin, "Servus", meaning servile, understood in its worst sense.

An artistically brilliant description, with a few masterly brushstrokes, is made by one of the greatest Soviet writers, Nicolaj Gogol, to whom I give the floor. Enjoy the reading!

From "Dead Souls" by Nikolai Gogol

"Imagine, for example, that there's an office - not here, of course, but in the farthest Thule - and that in said office there's a Director.

Please, observe him while he is sitting in front of his subordinates and tell me whether you are not struck speechless with terror!

Pride, nobility... what else could his face express? All you have to do is to take a brush and portray him: he is a Prometheo, an authentic Prometheo! He peers like an eagle, he walks majestically.

But as soon as this same eagle leaves his office and, carrying papers under his arm, moves toward the office of his superior, he becomes such a partridge the way he trots, that he really disconcerts you!".