The exhibition spaces at Casa Matteo, an artistic landmark in the heart of Fino del Monte, are hosting a solo exhibition by Bergamo-based artist Alfonso Rocchi, open to the public from July 11 through August 24. This long-awaited exhibition offers the public a journey through the various forms of expression, themes, and characters explored by the painter. Among the works on display, “Quo Vadis” stands out—a painting in which Rocchi presents his take on the “picnic on the grass,” one of the most iconic scenes from the great masters of art history. The painting depicts a typical 16th-century mountain landscape, which serves as the backdrop to the scene in the foreground: several figures converge at the center of the canvas in a moment of encounter and reflection that also draws the viewer in. The collection also includes his famous portraits of young girls and noblewomen set against a black background, Renaissance landscapes, and oil paintings created with colors ground in a mortar and natural pigments. In addition, there are his numerous interpretations of one of the most famous iconographic subjects: the Madonna and Child.
The Artist
Alfonso Rocchi was born in Villa d’Ogna in 1951. His artistic career has been marked by experimentation with various painting techniques, while the subjects at the center of his works define the different phases of his artistic output. Among the most representative figures in his collections are young girls—who have always been a source of inspiration for great painters of all eras—who come to life on his canvases and characterize the early period of his career, up until 1984. Starting in 1995, the artist began to gain recognition beyond the borders of Bergamo with his first solo exhibitions held at various Italian and international venues, including the Galleria Alessandro Ghiotto in Vicenza, the Galleria Doris Ghetta Ortisei, the Gallery Venezia in Pirmasens (Germany), the R&R Schubert in Salzburg (Austria), and even reaching the Big Apple with his exhibition at the Agora Gallery in New York (USA). The awards he has received confirm the value of his artistic work: he was a finalist for the Mondadori Art Prize in 1992 and the winner of the 2000 edition.
