Michele Melillo

Michele Melillo’s paintings and drawings enchant the viewer with their lightness and harmonious colors. Melillo begins with historical references when developing his works, combining in masterly style motifs from the baroque and rococo eras with a modern vocabulary of forms, folkloric ornaments, and classical architecture. Fauvist orgies of color and sprawling lines characterize the recurring subjects of his pictures: the barque as a symbol of the Egyptian sun god Ra, fabulous creatures, unusual animal pictures, and portraits of people long believed to be dead. This comprehensive monograph reproduces for the first time works by the young German painter and graphic artist from all work cycles, accompanied by an explanatory essay by Veit Ziegelmaier. As this volume brilliantly demonstrates, Melillo’s works instantly fascinate and surprise the viewer with their profound wit.