Nicolò Tomaini sells prints to support Lecco hospital during COVID-19

Artist Nicolò Tomaini (born 1989 in Bellano) has created a series of numbered and signed photolithographic prints to raise funds for the hospital in Lecco, Italy, during the coronavirus emergency. The works belong to his 'loading portraits' series, where a black gradient with a loading symbol obscures part of the subject, mimicking digital image loading. Unlike previous works where the black cut fell above the eyes, here it sits just above the lips, revealing the reassuring expression of Edward Jenner (1749–1823), the British physician who introduced the smallpox vaccine and is considered the father of immunization. Tomaini chose Jenner as a symbol of hope and courage for researchers working on COVID-19 solutions and for healthcare workers on the front lines. The artist explained that his work reflects how people now consume art through photos and social media rather than direct sensory experience. Jenner's vaccine was initially rejected by the Royal Society as too revolutionary, but within ten years smallpox cases in England dropped from about 40,000 deaths per year to just 182. The prints are signed and numbered, with proceeds going to Lecco hospital.