Paolo Medici

Paolo Medici was born in Rome in 1955 and took up painting at a very early age. As a student, he worked in the studio of his future mentor, Corrado Cagli, where he furthered his studies from 1969 to 1976. It was here that he discovered a unique technique based on friction: frottage. He was so fascinated by it that he went on to develop it into a distinct artistic language of his own, with extraordinary creativity, sensitivity and creative freedom. Although his preferred form of expression involves rubbing oil-based wax pastels over textured surfaces and he has never used a brush, his works achieve a painterly intensity and clarity otherwise associated with classical oil paintings. At the heart of his work lies the ‘Ancient’ – sometimes as history, sometimes as myth, yet never as a mere memory, but as a present, living reality. Medici describes himself as an ‘emotional realist’: his works spring from the visible world, yet aim at a deeper engagement with humanity and human existence. The renowned artist has lived and worked in Bologna since 1990.