DELIRIOUS TEAR | LUDOVICA ANVERSA

Ludovica Anversa (Milan, 1996) is an artist distinguished by her ability to subtly and delicately unite abstraction with allusions to familiar and recognizable elements. Her artworks often play with analogies, where the curves and figures that appear in the compositions seem to evoke shapes, but without ever fully revealing them.
The artist intentionally masks the substance of the subjects, allowing the viewer to perceive only their essence, like the echo of a distant shadow.

Delirious tear is a painting realized in 2024 as part of an exhibition dedicated to the concept of autotomy, a biological phenomenon in which some animals, such as reptiles or crustaceans, voluntarily sacrifice part of their body to defend themselves or survive. Anversa interprets this idea by applying it to the human experience, suggesting that we, too, metaphorically practice autotomy: cutting away parts of ourselves to free us from pain or to conform to certain social expectations. This sacrifice often becomes necessary to protect our vulnerability and survive in a complex, sometimes ruthless, context.

As in most of Anversa’s artworks, the subject of Delirious tear is abstract, evanescent, a specter wandering among shades and uncertain forms. It is an entity not fully defined, a shadow that suggests more than it reveals.
The narrative in her work is never explicit, but can only be vaguely perceived. The red stain spreading from the center of the painting vaguely recalls the idea of a beating heart, and the line of drops rising from its top brings to mind the image of a spine. However, there is no certainty, as the form remains deliberately undefined.

The background of the painting consists of a series of blurred stains in shades of blue and gray, creating a harmonious chromatic contrast with the bright red at the center.
The choice of colors is not accidental: blue and gray evoke a sense of calm and melancholy, while red suggests vitality and emotional intensity. The chromatic contrast seems to hint at the conflict between the desire for self-expression and the reluctance to reveal feelings hidden deep within the unconscious.

Delirious tear navigates a sea of uncertainty and ambiguity. The artist does not provide clear answers but leaves the viewer suspended in doubt, forced to confront what is left unsaid or not clearly stated.

Ludovica Anversa
Delirious tear, 2024
Oil on linen, 145 x 70 cm
Installation view “Autotomia”, solo show at Fondazione La Rocca, Pescara (2024). Courtesy the artist. Photo credits Paolo Iammarrone.

05/10/24