Artists

John Guthrie, October 2021

Presenza

Smalto acrilico su muro, 2021

USA, born 1959

This mural was created by Boston-based American artist, John Guthrie, as a gift to the Comune of Montebuono. Using one of his familiar motifs- geometric form set within a rectangle, he shares his love of proportion, perspective, and color relationships. Inspired by the luminous blue sky and the white of clouds, Presenza, speaks to how we each position ourselves in the world.

Unlike the Madonna’s robes and the heavens that are deemed eternal through the color blue,Guthrie presents a blue confined by rectangular edges, thus reminding us that our presence is both finite and infinite.While the mural’s angles refer to town structures, both ancient and modern; the white lines delineate the gesture of a figure in contrapposto. Serving as a conduit between the past and the future, Presenza presents a contemporary nod to Italy’s history of Roman wall murals and civic public works. Ultimately, Presenza also exists simply as a drawing; an act of beauty that invites our contemplation.

This project was made possible with the gracious support of The Comune of Montebuono,Mayor Claudio Antonella, Vice Mayor Paola Accossato, Ferramenta Mannucci, and celebratesThe Bottega Projects inaugural artist residency in October 2021.