L’Amore ai Tempi del Co..vid-19
This wheatpaste work is based off the painting Il Bacio (The Kiss) by Francesco Hayez, completed in 1859. Hayez is a well-known artist in Italy, often painting fictional and historical themes. According to the Pinacoteca di Brera (who owns a version of Il Bacio), the original painting symbolizes “the love of the motherland and thirst for life on the part of the young nation that had emerged from the Second War of Independence.” Italian artist TV Boy updates this famous image with bottles of hand sanitizer and face masks, possibly in response to Italy starting to lockdown in February 2020. As both Hayez and TV Boy lived in Milan, it is fitting that Il Bacio was chosen as an art subject.
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Sources:
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/francesco-hayez
https://pinacotecabrera.org/en/collezione-online/opere/the-kiss/
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