Italy denuded / Italy Berluschina
Exhibited at: The 6th Beijing International Art Exposition 2003; The 8th Guangzhou International Art Exhibition, Guangzhou, 2003; The 11th China Art Exhibition, China Millennium Monument, Beijing, 2004; The 7th Beijing International Art Exhibition, Beijing, 2004; The 9th Guangzhou International Art Exhibition, Guangzhou, 2004; The 14th Guangzhou International Art Exhibition, China, 2009.
Published in: La Chine au présent (French language edition of China Today magazine) 42^ year, n.4, April 2004 (pages 51, 52, 53 with interview with Director Hu Chunhua and Canadian journalist Louise Cadieux); Chinese Art, page 81; China Magazine Arts, page 87; Famous People in Beijing, page 20; China Arts, 2003, page 70; in the catalogue of The 6th Beijing International Art Exposition 2003, pag. 31; in the China Art Exposition 2004 (pages 110-111 with extensive commentary in Chinese and English); in the catalogue The 8th Guangzhou International Art Exhibition, Guangzhou, 2003, pag. 88.
Author's comment:
Berluschina (bending down for, submitted to Berlusconi)
Beautiful, light-hearted, facetious, joyous, cheerful, opulent... "Italy... denuded"!
Italy denuded by politicians, mafiosi, cunning people, thieves…
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“Cheery Italy” is an opulent and licentious parody of Goya’s art with the Italian flag draped over an erotically shaped Italy, while Sardinia is represented by a bottle of wine and Sicily by an orange ball. It is a comic portrayal of Italy demonstrating the difference between the prosperous North and Southern hardships and backwardness by representing a miniaturized South that is overshadowed by wellbeing. (Dr. Sabrina Falzone)
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In the Chinese version my friend, Dr. Zhang Meng, explains:
This painting is based on the geographical characteristics of Italy.
The main image looks like a human body wearing boots, and the tricolor flag represents Italy. The author shows the beauty and richness of his motherland.
The orange semicircle in the lower left corner and its extension on the lined passpartout form a circle, representing Sicily. This island is famous for its oranges. The reason why it is drawn as an orange is because football is the passion of Italians.
The red wine bottle-shaped figure on the left side of the picture is Sardinia, which vividly expresses another characteristic of Italians, that is, they love red wine.
The background is the Mediterrinean Sea, and Italy is actually a peninsular country.
