RESIDENT ARTIST
FRANCESCO GONZALES
This month we are delighted to show The Holy Family, a work by Francesco Gonzales.
The Holy Family, 2022
Oil on canvas
170 cm x 200 cm
Gonzales’ latest work is a tender depiction of the holy family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
The three figures form a dynamic pyramid, an exchange of actions uniting them. Joseph enters the frame, boldly silhouetted against a landscape of golden light, stretching back to a distant mountain. This warm glow permeates the dividing line of the stark interior, gently caressing the mother swaddling her child.
The work was produced from life, posed by a displaced Ukrainian family now living in the community of Novara. Through the careful study of our modern refugees, Gonzales keeps ever present the contemporaneity of this biblical tale, revealing a universal social function of art that transcends historical boundaries.
BIOGRAPHY
Francesco Gonzales is a noted art historian, a member of the Ecclesiastical Cultural Heritage Office of the Diocese of Novara.
He was responsible for the reorganisation of the Pinacoteca dell’Accademia Albertina in Turin, the Collection Real Collegio Carlo Alberto di Moncalieri in Turin, and the Archivio Fotografico della Soprintendenza del Piemonte. He has curated exhibitions on Guercino, Caravaggio, and other Baroque Masters across Italy.
He is also a fine artist, pursuing in his work the study of ancient painting techniques. His paintings hang in museums internationally, including his recent portrait of Sir Denis Mahon in the National Gallery of Ireland.
Since its inception, Gonzales has been a vital and active collaborator of the Sir Denis Mahon Foundation.
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