Stefano De Paolis: 'Ritratti ideali' at Castiglioni, Milan

Stefano De Paolis (Bergamo, 1992) presents four new graphite drawings at Castiglioni in Milan, in the exhibition 'Ritratti ideali' (Ideal Portraits), on view until June 19, 2026. The works are self-portraits depicting the artist in mundane actions—reading, smoking, observing a gramophone, drawing—rendered in subtle gray modulations on white paper. The show's title deliberately avoids 'self-portrait,' framing the figure as a vehicle for an Idea rather than ego. A text by Filippo Bosco links the series to Antonio Canova's ideal faces, where the subtraction of marble parallels the elision of physiognomic accidents. One drawing, showing the figure bent over a vertical sheet, exemplifies the fusion of medieval scribe and impatient child. Another, where the figure smokes partially framed by a drawn shadow, plays with the passepartout and the gallery window, showcasing the porous effect of graphite. The works' quiet, introspective quality echoes Francesco Arcangeli's description of 1930s Italian painting as 'relatively timeless,' appealing to balance and moderation.