Artistic Reviews
What the critics and experts of the field say about my paintings and my art.
"Dorian Gray"
Dr. Vittorio Sgarbi
Art critic (2023)
The rituality of the beauty of the body is the dominant motif in Wilde's Portrait of Dorian Gray. We all know the results of the protagonist's insane intimate story. Antolini reproduces its self-destructive force, first in the diabolic absorption of life captured by art, then in the narcissistic identification that leads man to extend also his arteries in the illusion of his reflection in the mirror.
Dr. Rosanna Chetta
Art critic, Artexpo' Gallery (2022)
The Artist seems to want to communicate how, every time she approaches a new work, she comes across that obsessive inner torment that kidnaps her and leads her towards a sensation of catatonia. This sensation is however suppressed because she is aware of what she does and how she does it, succeeding in his goal with great mastery.
"Honor of the Soul"
Dr. Rosanna Chetta
Art critic - Artexpo' Gallery (2022)
The depiction of a hero with a sculptural physique who observes pleased the carcass of the lion at his feet, immediately refers to the story of Hercules who in one of his labors kills the Nemean lion using his cunning. A clear paraphrase of the artist who was able to defeat his inner demons, overcoming them and finally being able to show and cultivate his great passion.
Prof. Marinella Caputo
Teacher and art writer (2018)
Her studies on famous paintings are not limited to reproducing the originals but imply a moral message, even before that aesthetic, as in the case of "Samson and the Lion" (from Hayez), in which the biblical hero wins his inner enemy rather than the beast outside, showing himself almost astonished at his own victory.
When Art becomes a source of determination
Dr. Rosanna Chetta
Art critic, Artexpo'Gallery (2022)
Elisa Antolini's Art is a celebration of life, which teaches us to never stop and always pursue our dreams. Artist with a pure and sensitive soul, her works convey a deep sense of passion for what she has chosen to do. The skill with which her themes are treated reveals a new sensation, made of passion and tenacity. As she tells herself, when she performs her artworks she leaves wide space for impulsiveness. Nothing is premeditated or reasoned. Her paintings come to life only after completion, taking shape through her own identifying characters. This aspect of instinct gives her works a romantic attitude at first glance but dwelling more insistently on character substances, it is also possible to perceive that aspect of nostalgia, pain, and suppression that may have disturbed the life of the Artist in a particular moment. It is clear how all of her art is surrounded by a spiritual bond that goes beyond the intelligible, between what is contained in her inner universe and everything that surrounds her: she has therefore learned the need to share with the world her art message. Her goal is to give an emotional and creative message to all those who need to take refuge in art to find peace, generating an unparalleled charge of positive energy.
"Memories of a Past Life"
Dr. Massimo Gherardini
Art critic, Dantebus Gallery (2021)
"Painting represents the most intimate and deep part of me". This is the programmatic manifesto of the art of the refined author Elisa Antolini. Painting has accompanied Elisa since she was a child, getting lost for a period, only to find herself definitively and intensely. Sharing with the public, therefore, literally becomes a sacrifice on the canvas for love, like the seed that dies to bear fruit. "Handle with care, fragile" is the inscription affixed to each artwork because it contains every centimeter of the crystal of Elisa's heart, it contains every gram of the soul, memory, dream, vision and thought of the author. The perfect oil on canvas "Memories of a Past Life", of Mannerist and Macchiaioli evocation, therefore, represents a quid of the past, which is expressed in a decaying fortress, immersed in an uncontaminated natural landscape, between autumn and winter, while the grass darkens and the peaks begin to turn white. It is an internal and external vision, a state of mind, and a gateway to emotions. Elisa's painting delicately envelops the observer and with her velvet spreads on the earth her delicate and perfumed fragrance, like a grain of incense which by burning, causes its smoke and smell to rise from the earth to the sky.
"Human Dualism"
Dr. Massimo Gherardini
Art critic, Dantebus Gallery (2021)
With the perfect oil on canvas "Human Dualism", representing well-known monuments in the shape of a flower open on the water, Elisa Antolini tackles the intriguing and discussed theme of human dualism. It is a philosophical or theological conception that sees the presence of two opposite and irreconcilable essences or principles in the human being. In contemporary philosophy, the most debated dualism is concerning the mind-body relationship. It is therefore a metaphysical conception that, opposing to monism which sees a unicum, argues that reality is made up of two fundamental substances, ontologically separate and incapable of causally interacting with each other. A conception that has its roots in Plato, who was the first clear supporter of a dualistic position, seeing soul and body as two distinct substances, one of which is immortal and, not only continues to live after the death of the body, but it existed even before the body to which it was chained. Well, the task of art becomes to represent these two substances. The body is the flower that floats on the sea of ​​existence, the soul is the rainbow light that illuminates in the night allowing it to exist ...
Prof. Marinella Caputo
Teacher and art writer (2018)
The "Human Dualism" work takes the photographic image of a suggestive contemporary architecture, the Lotus Building in China. The intent is metaphorical, alluding to the dichotomy between dark and light, so rooted in the history of painting. However, this dualism ends up transcending the visual aspect, involving the human condition: "technology and magic, spirit and reason, wisdom and madness, good and evil", as the artist's words indicate.
" The Four Seasons "
Prof. Marinella Caputo
Teacher and art writer (2018)
Three paintings form a cycle, embodying the different moods of the sky that subtend those of the human soul: "The dark night of the soul", "Chaos and rebirth", "sad awareness ". By adding "Waves of love", the theme becomes the allegory of the 4 seasons, evoking the phases of life that never cease to transform and regenerate themselves.
" Pieces of Me "
Prof. Marinella Caputo
Teacher and art writer (2018)
Another series is “Pieces of me”, four soundproofed panels on which fluid arabesques unfold, with shapes and colors that change, until they become rarefied and light, evoking existential meanders and tangles.
Works Catalog
Prof. Marinella Caputo
Teacher and art writer (2018)
Painting is for Elisa Antolini the most suitable way to express emotions, moods, and reflections. The act of painting, calm and meticulous, is the path that brings to light what is hidden inside and emerges quoting nature. The evoked places are inspired by memories or visions and, while maintaining a pronounced sense of physicality, they end up taking on a suspended dimension, not devoid of abstraction and mystery. In fact, there is no narrative or descriptive purpose, but rather a symbolic meaning that transcends the image, alluding to the intangible and the invisible. Color and light prevail with an intensity that is not only perceptive but also, and mostly, emotional.