A painter from Florence, Italy, won the “Outstanding Technique Award” at the 7th NTD Worldwide Realistic Oil Painting Competition. On January 21st, Alessandra Marrucchi, a traditional painter from the land of oil painting, revealed a surprising fact: even in Italy, a country where sculptures and oil paintings are prevalent on the streets, traditional painting competitions emphasizing traditional techniques are no longer held.
Marrucchi believes that NTD is doing something that others are not. “This is the center of revival,” she said.
The award-winning piece by Marrucchi is titled “Margherita.” The overall painting gives off an ancient and heavy feeling. In the painting, a young woman sits upright on a wooden chair, lips tightly pursed, with a determined gaze ahead.
According to Marrucchi, she always starts by painting what she sees or what moves her internally onto the canvas, and then spends two to three months infusing her spiritual self into it.
“My idea was to place her (Margherita) in a very ancient setting, but it looks modern, very much in line with her temperament,” Marrucchi said. To achieve this, she referenced a photo of her teacher (as the background setting), but changed the color of her teacher’s ancient wooden desk from red to blue. “I studied his photos in museums, sketched a small piece, it was also a tribute to my teacher.”
She then painted a female figure: straight posture and lively eyes symbolizing the artist’s spirit. Marrucchi grew up in a very traditional and devout rural family, with strict limitations during her upbringing. When it came to learning painting, while others pursued modern painting styles, she insisted on studying ancient painting techniques that aligned with her inner self.
“The girl’s gaze is lively and determined, yet the background is very stable. What does she want to do? Determined,” Marrucchi said, “I am playing with this contrast here, the expression of a woman who grew up in an ancient environment wanting to break free.”
Marrucchi stated that this painting is herself.
“I start by painting what I see. But eventually, I become another person on the canvas. Then, I try to enter the inner world of this person,” she said. “Of course, I incorporate a lot of my thoughts, so it’s not just a simple reproduction of what I see. It’s just a start. What’s more interesting and touching is, when the character you create becomes a real person, you need to imbue feelings into it.”
Therefore, whenever Marrucchi engages in creation, she doesn’t consider time, diving in deeply, contemplating for long periods on what she aims to achieve.
“I don’t show off my skills. They can paint exactly like a photo, that’s not my feeling,” she said. “I need to feel the pigments. It’s very important to me, so I’ve studied for many years. I need to see what I understand in the painting.”
Marrucchi pointed to a red label under the painting that read “Not for sale.”
“This painting is not for sale, I don’t care if it sells or not. I just want to exhibit it, try it, create art, that’s my feeling,” she said. There is also a purpose, to pass it on to the younger generation.
“Because they often are in a rush, wanting to do everything faster, thinking loving art is for making money,” Marrucchi said. “I do what I do: I study ancient techniques. But it’s not just about technique, it’s about how to feel art, the sense possessed by those who dedicate their lives to painting. So, I try to convey this feeling to the new generation.”
Marrucchi believes that these ancient techniques or rather the feeling these techniques give people are the “essence of painting,” “some very important things” that must not be forgotten.
This is Marrucchi’s second time participating in the NTD painting competition, and she also received the “Outstanding Technique Award” last time. She thinks that what NTD wants to restore is the same as what she desires.
“This competition is unique, and it resonates with my feeling. If you look at my work, you can understand this feeling and concept presented by NTD competition are very similar,” Marrucchi said. “My work can make people feel calm, harmonious, in line with what NTD proposes.”
Marrucchi expressed that it is unfortunate that discussions about restoring tradition are “rare among Italians,” “there are no such competitions in Italy, I can’t find any.”
Therefore, Marrucchi believes that the initiatives taken by the NTD competition are “very important” and are what contemporary society needs.
“And here, being with everyone, forms a circle,” she said, “this is a center of revival, so you should come here.” “Moreover, the organizational skills here are strong, I think they are doing well, doing a lot of work to keep people in good condition and promote many things. What they have done today, and many other things, are not done by other competitions.”