Manuele Cerutti on Painting, Objects, and the 'Age of Limbs'

In a conversation with Artribune, Manuele Cerutti, an Italian painter born in 1976 in Turin, elaborates on his technique of 'drying out' subjects to uncover their core essence. Residing in both Ghent and Turin, Cerutti's transformative experience with painting took place during his time at a slaughterhouse in Moncalieri. He draws inspiration from masters such as van Eyck, Brueghel, and Hammershøi, stressing the relationship between figuration and abstraction, along with the value of technique. His artwork often presents marginalized objects that convey a 'subjectivity' beyond human utility. The large-scale piece 'Motus naturalis' (2018) represents the culmination of his exploration into object subjectivity. He asserts that contemporary Italian artists stand shoulder to shoulder with their global counterparts, emphasizing the importance of life observation, memory, and sensory experiences.