Among the recent acquisitions in the Farnesina Collection is 1943 by Jacopo Benassi (La Spezia, 1970), a strongly evocative and composite work. Delimited by rough wooden frames that recall the unpacking of a life, 1943 is the artist’s tender homage to his recently deceased mother.
On the deepest level, the work presents a painting by Benassi that was placed in his parents’ bedroom for decades. Photographic images of the void left on the wall after the removal of the painting are superimposed on this, as well as the detail of the bedside table marked by the traces of the cigars his father used to leave on the wooden edge.
A black strap holds the different frames together, just as a child’s love does with the memories of their loved ones.
Courtesy the artist and @francesca_minini.
