GAIJIN / LO STRANIERO | TOM PORTA

TOM PORTA, one of the most refined painters of his generation, comes to Varese: his sublime figuration is characterised by a lyrical style in which he skilfully mixes the flavour of Italian tradition with the newest international painting trends.

In this latest series, “Gaijin / The foreigner”, Tom Porta completes a long research journey dedicated to Japan and its imagery. Following in the footsteps of the great travellers of the 19th century, who saw the Land of the Rising Sun as the last exotic land to explore, Tom Porta reshapes the fashion of Japonisme against the background of contemporaneity. Thirty paintings, including several refined graphite on paper drawings, will be presented in the show together with the installation of the 36 views of Mount Fuji. 

The phenomenon of Japonisme was widespread in Paris, above all when several of the great collectors, one thinks of Henri Cernuschi or of the Goncourt brothers, and important art critics such as Theodor Duret, true inspirer of the Impressionists, began to interest themselves in oriental art. Many of the most renowned artists of the era – Monet, Degas, Manet, Pissarro… to quote a few – were influenced by Utamaro and Hokusai’s works, often adopting an oriental lightness in their painting. More than a century later, Tom Porta follows suit, contrasting the gesture and speed typical of western art with the meticulous patience of the oriental masters, exploring the themes of grace, strength, symbolism, nature as a divine spiritual guide.