FIGURE

The human figure has long been a source of passion for Bruno Morato. Even as a young man he was devoted to portraiture – starting from a bare few lines in pencil, and over time perfecting the art, bringing colour to it, studying character and physiognomies of the face with his sensitive eye. In 1977 he attended the Academy of Applied Arts in Padua, and later in Venice at the Accademia di Belle Arti, Scuola Libera del Nudo. He was aware that, just as Ingres had taught in the first half of the nineteenth century in France, acquiring knowledge of anatomy and the most meticulous precision in observing reality are fundamental to an artist’s education. His gaze lingers attentively on the forms of these models, composing their shapes harmoniously and accurately, always with a clean line – in charcoal, pastels, brushstrokes – carefully replicating the gradual shading of the figure. The paintings give us insight into the women who have shaped Bruno Morato’s life: Carla, his wife, and Lucia, his daughter – muses who inspire images of beauty and shared love; and those he encounters in the story of humanity – Hypatia, Salome – symbols of emancipation and intense sensuality. Between 1981 and 1997 he belonged to the circle of artists Gruppo Pittori Neofigurativi Padovani Pietro Annigoni.