THE STORK TREE
1990, 50x70cm, Bright oil on canvas
Self-portrait of the painter and his wife, with their newborn daughter.
“The Stork Tree” is a bright oil painting on canvas, created in 1990, which represents a strongly symbolic and dreamlike scene. The image immediately recalls the iconic opening sequence of Disney’s Dumbo, in which storks fly across the sky to deliver newborns to their families. However, in this work, the idea is transformed and made even more surreal: instead of transporting children to their destinations, the storks leave them on trees, creating a sort of celestial nursery, a place suspended between the earthly world and the spiritual one, where new lives wait to be welcomed.
At the center of the scene stands a large tree, with twisted branches blooming in pink, populated by newborns and storks. On a majestic white horse, a symbol of purity and nobility, sits a woman with a child in her arms, whose gaze expresses maternal serenity and sweetness. Next to her, a man dressed in a long black coat with his hands in his pockets observes the scene with a proud and protective attitude, depicting the father of the family. At the couple’s feet, a golden lion walks along the trunk of the tree, a symbol of strength, courage, and protection. The sky is animated by flying storks that oversee the birth and destiny of the children, while the little human beings sit peacefully on the branches, in a suspended and timeless wait. The background landscape, with gentle hills and warm tones, contributes to making the atmosphere almost fairy-tale-like.
Painting technique:
The artist uses a detailed and luminous painting technique, with precise brushstrokes and a skillful use of bright oil, which gives vibrancy to the colors. The tree is rendered with extreme care, with a white bark that stands out against the background and pink flowers that add delicacy. The faces of the characters are realistic, while the landscape and animals have a more symbolic appearance, accentuating the dreamlike nature of the work. Colors play a fundamental role: the white of the horse and the tree suggests purity and sacredness, the pink of the flowers recalls birth and sweetness, while the ochre of the ground and the blue of the sky create a harmonious contrast between earth and sky. The golden lion stands out proudly, while the red figures break the chromatic balance, creating a point of visual and conceptual tension.
Hidden meanings and symbolism:
The work is a celebration of life, birth, and family protection, but also a symbolic journey through the cycle of existence.
- The tree represents life and fertility, a place of birth and growth.
- Storks are traditionally associated with motherhood and the destiny of newborns. Here they seem to have an active role in the distribution of souls to their future parents.
- The red figures: symbolize dangers, adversities, or unknown forces that influence destiny.
Conclusion:
The Stork Tree is a work of strong visual and symbolic impact, which unites fairy-tale, dreamlike, and metaphysical elements in a universal narrative about birth and the cycle of life. The combination of realism and symbolism, together with the skillful use of color, creates an atmosphere suspended between dream and reality. While on one hand the scene conveys serenity and protection, on the other, it leaves room for deeper questions about destiny, growth, and the forces that govern life, making the work open to multiple interpretations.
Self-portrait of the painter and his wife, with their newborn daughter.
“The Stork Tree” is a bright oil painting on canvas, created in 1990, which represents a strongly symbolic and dreamlike scene. The image immediately recalls the iconic opening sequence of Disney’s Dumbo, in which storks fly across the sky to deliver newborns to their families. However, in this work, the idea is transformed and made even more surreal: instead of transporting children to their destinations, the storks leave them on trees, creating a sort of celestial nursery, a place suspended between the earthly world and the spiritual one, where new lives wait to be welcomed.
At the center of the scene stands a large tree, with twisted branches blooming in pink, populated by newborns and storks. On a majestic white horse, a symbol of purity and nobility, sits a woman with a child in her arms, whose gaze expresses maternal serenity and sweetness. Next to her, a man dressed in a long black coat with his hands in his pockets observes the scene with a proud and protective attitude, depicting the father of the family. At the couple’s feet, a golden lion walks along the trunk of the tree, a symbol of strength, courage, and protection. The sky is animated by flying storks that oversee the birth and destiny of the children, while the little human beings sit peacefully on the branches, in a suspended and timeless wait. The background landscape, with gentle hills and warm tones, contributes to making the atmosphere almost fairy-tale-like.
Painting technique:
The artist uses a detailed and luminous painting technique, with precise brushstrokes and a skillful use of bright oil, which gives vibrancy to the colors. The tree is rendered with extreme care, with a white bark that stands out against the background and pink flowers that add delicacy. The faces of the characters are realistic, while the landscape and animals have a more symbolic appearance, accentuating the dreamlike nature of the work. Colors play a fundamental role: the white of the horse and the tree suggests purity and sacredness, the pink of the flowers recalls birth and sweetness, while the ochre of the ground and the blue of the sky create a harmonious contrast between earth and sky. The golden lion stands out proudly, while the red figures break the chromatic balance, creating a point of visual and conceptual tension.
Hidden meanings and symbolism:
The work is a celebration of life, birth, and family protection, but also a symbolic journey through the cycle of existence.
- The tree represents life and fertility, a place of birth and growth.
- Storks are traditionally associated with motherhood and the destiny of newborns. Here they seem to have an active role in the distribution of souls to their future parents.
- The red figures: symbolize dangers, adversities, or unknown forces that influence destiny.
Conclusion:
The Stork Tree is a work of strong visual and symbolic impact, which unites fairy-tale, dreamlike, and metaphysical elements in a universal narrative about birth and the cycle of life. The combination of realism and symbolism, together with the skillful use of color, creates an atmosphere suspended between dream and reality. While on one hand the scene conveys serenity and protection, on the other, it leaves room for deeper questions about destiny, growth, and the forces that govern life, making the work open to multiple interpretations.