Capri

A golden yellow fills the frame: Capri announces itself with sunshine. Against this radiant backdrop, Luxxo appears in a frontal bust portrait, outlined in a lively black stroke doubled in white. The signature character of GNelly, with a rounded silhouette and X-shaped eyes, comes ashore on the most elegant island in the Bay of Naples.

The head is split in two, like day and night. On the left, a nearly black navy blue topped with deep red. On the right, white, sky blue and a touch of pink. The eyes switch accordingly: a white cross on the dark side, a black cross on the light side. A white seam follows the curve of the skull, a few vertical strokes run beneath the left eye, and a three-pointed black crown rises on the forehead.

The crown appears again on the chest, this time in white, set on a navy blue square. The motif has been dear to street art since Basquiat, and it takes on a particular resonance here: Capri was an island of emperors before it became an island of la dolce vita. Around it, the body brings together raspberry, fuchsia, sky blue, olive and orange, in palette-knife-painted blocks of color. There is a spiral, a grid, little crosses echoing the gaze, a red sun with bristling rays, and a white daisy. A red check pattern calls to mind a trattoria tablecloth, while the yellow discs scattered across the blue arm suggest lemons. Luxxo’s name is inscribed on the shoulder.

A fine, freehand black frame borders the composition. Luxxo appears a second time vertically along the right edge, and GNelly’s signature is inscribed in white inside a tone-on-tone cartouche at the bottom right.

Automotive varnish completes the painting’s character. It gives the yellow a smooth, deep surface reminiscent of the shine of glazed ceramic. The colors gain intensity, the paint’s raised textures catch the light, and reflections of the room appear as if in a mirror.

A unique, luminous piece full of character, between pop art and urban art, signed and delivered with its certificate of authenticity.