Sing Me Diva: Raffaele De Rosa's tribute to the Iliad in Pisa.

On Friday, Oct. 11, the exhibition Cantami Diva, dedicated to the works of painter Raffaele De Rosa (Podenzana, 1940), opened at the Fortilizio della Cittadella in Pisa and will remain open until Nov. 24, 2024. The exhibition, curated by Jacopo Suggi, is a tribute to the immortal epic of theIliad, Homer’s epic poem recounting the heroic deeds of the Achaeans during the Trojan War. Withmore than 20 paintings on display, De Rosa traces the mythological and symbolic suggestions of the Homeric tale, with the intention of projecting visitors into a dialogue between past and present, history and contemporaneity. The initiative stems from the desire to bring to the Pisan public an artistic reflection around a millennia-old theme, reinterpreted through a modern pictorial sensibility, but aiming to preserve all the power of ancient myths.

TheIliad, composed more than 3,000 years ago, is one of the founding texts of Western culture and continues to inspire fascination and inspiration. The narrative of the Trojan War, immortal heroes and gods intervening in human affairs has influenced not only literature, but also art, music and theater. De Rosa fits into this tradition by choosing to explore through his painting the epic world described by Homer. However, his approach is not limited to a simple visual transposition of the epic scenes. For the artist, Homeric myth is in fact a repertoire of universal archetypes that continue to resonate in our contemporary times. His painting does not simply reproduce warriors, gods and battles, but transforms the classical narrative into a pictorial language that wants to speak of today, of the inner and collective conflicts that still characterize the human experience. De Rosa is fascinated not only by the protagonists of the Iliad, but also by the figure of Homer himself, the blind poet who handed down these stories orally before they were fixed in writing.

The more than 20 works on display at the Citadel Fortress present a spectrum of sizes and styles that reflect the plurality of interpretations De Rosa attributes to theIliad. The exhibition does not limit itself to a visual representation of the epos, but invites the viewer to connect with the universal themes that the Iliad carries: war, the struggle for power, and the pain and suffering of the oppressed. De Rosa’s canvases thus offer a multifaceted reading in which each viewer can find personal meaning. The central work in the exhibition is the large painting Cantami Diva, which gives the exhibition its title and can be seen in the atrium of the Palazzo Comunale di Pisa.

Cantami Diva can be visited Thursday through Sunday, 3 to 6 p.m., at the Citadel Fortress. Admission is free, and visitors will also have the opportunity to access the Guelph Tower during the same opening hours.

“We are delighted to host the exhibition of a well-rounded artist who has always been linked to Pisa,” says Culture Councilor Filippo Bedini. “A bond strengthened even more in recent years with the creation of two works: the design for a stained-glass window that is inside the Russoli Institute and, above all, the Palio della Vittoria created for the last edition of the Gioco del Ponte. The exhibition, which will be hosted once again at the Citadel Fortress, presents a series of medium and large works; they are true explosions of shapes and colors inspired by the Iliad and the Trojan War, which are also an opportunity to reflect on a theme that is unfortunately always topical, such as war, but from an intimate, inverted perspective, made of harmony, beauty and color.”

Sing Me Diva: Raffaele De Rosa's tribute to the Iliad in Pisa.

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