Studies of Ancient Cultures: Art by Nina Dell'Orto
Jonah and the Whale, oil on linen
Nina Dell’Orto is an artist currently based in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and whose work is informed by years of international travel and artistic research, including Nina’s studies of ancient cultures in today’s Italy, Egypt, and Turkey.
The Eye that Rains, oil on masonite
I like the way that Nina’s works balance artistic influence and reverence with novel and experimental techniques and aesthetics. Many of the works in the artist’s A Look Inside the Mysteries gallery feature abstract human figures in compositions that emphasize flat planes and stylized arrangements, suggesting hieroglyphics and cave paintings while still sitting easily within a contemporary moment.
The titles that Nina gives to her works and series are highly evocative. Pieces like The Eye that Rains, Yellow Moon, and The Trio make use of large symbolic eye figures that seem to directly reference ancient Egyptian art styles. These figures, on heavily textured, colourful grounds, have a certain monolithic, almost spiritual sense about them.
