Federico Mazza returns us to a Romantic tradition in the arts in an age that seems to disregard all that is slow, thoughtful, and secluded. Just as the poet learns the events of the world through a particular language, so the artist sees the world through very particular eyes. It is through painting with diffused forms, pale oil colors and wisely veiled amorphous and elusive subjects, that Mazza elicits an emotive sense of an undefined, pleasant melancholy, that spreads like a shadow in the present. Though the sentimental has been derided in avant-garde and political arts, Mazza offers us the opportunity once again to become lost in an aesthetic of calm timelessness. In Transit, paintings convey a series of landscape views that though appear at first sight, are quickly lost to the eye. The elusive nature of the subject depicts not so much movement in an image, but stillness in motion. The painting continues to unfold, the forms yield a sense of slow creation and give rise to our interpretation and memories. The romantic melancholy of these landscapes present a view as if filtered through the window of a car or train; a view that we all know and relate to, one that is neither here nor there, but in transit, much like the forms and meanings of the works of Mazza themselves.

Federico Mazza is originally from Rome and continues to live and work in Italy. Federico Mazza has exhibited nationally and internationally, some of his works are held in permanent museum collections, and has been the recipient of numerous awards for contemporary artists.

Ungalleried London, 2020