Graziella Menozzi

Not since Vincent van Gogh has a painting of a chair been wrought with as much emotion as in Graziella Menozzi’s work.  Using psychological studies, she paints the chairs to represent the people they may receive, with all their feelings, problems, and passions.

Like people, there are many different types of chairs.  Some are regal and intricately designed, while others are functional yet simple.  Menozzi’s captures the character of each chair not just through its unique design, but also in her placement of the subject matter on the canvas and her subtle manipulation of the chair’s form.  Consequently, the artist determines whether the chair has a feeling of dominance or submissiveness, practicality or fancifulness. She renders a chair’s back, for example, as expressive as a person’s shoulders; some are proud, others are mournful.  Brilliant colors give a pop-art feel to Graziella Menozzi’s work.  Orange is paired with red, blue with green, for eye-catching appeal.  Her conceptual rendering of an everyday object modernizes formal, academic still-life.