Marco De Luca

The exhibition I went to MAR to see was by an Italian mosaic artist Marco De Luca.  His work was not only incredible, and of a scale rarely seen in Australia, but it was exhibited in such a way that the mood and lighting set the works off brilliantly.  I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to see this artists works, most of which seem to have come from private collections for the purpose of the show.  Purchasing the catalogue was essential. I now have a record of the scale and detail of his way of working.  Quite architectural even though not graphic.  Textural while being predominantly flat although worked onto 3D surfaces. Compared to the crowds throughout the rest of Ravenna we were virtually alone as we explored MAR.  This provided the opportunity to really enjoy seeing what was on offer.  At one stage, the attendant in the Marco De Luca exhibition had a chat.  Named Stella, this lovely lady must have been in her 70's.   I asked whether it was ok to take photographs.  I had seen no signage to indicate either way, so did the mime to check with her.  Well, in addition to saying yes, she settled in for a chat.  Holding my hand and patting it as we talked.  Her in Italian, me in English.  Then, she came after me to tell me it was ok to use the flash to take photos.  We chatted some more, so I gave her my business card, to try to explain why I had enjoyed the exhibition so much.  She seemed tickled pink, chatted some more, then we left to explore the bookstore, knowing that the Museum was due to close for siesta.  Truly a highlight to what was a wonderful day. 25.10.2012