Italo Orsi Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

"Enigma", original ink and pencil on sepia paper. Part of Neo Mythology series. Shipped rolled in a tube.. Free shipping with 1stDibs code for items over $500. Like the immortal myth...

Part of my Nude series, inspired by Matisse. Ultramarine tempera on paper. Shipped rolled in a tube. Shipping anywhere in the world. Registered airmail. This piece, Modern Eve, is a striking and expressive work that beautifully captures the essence of Matisse’s influence while maintaining its own contemporary voice. The use of ultramarine tempera on paper creates a dynamic interplay between form and negative space, with the vivid blue standing out against the warm, neutral background. The loose, fluid brushstrokes give the figure an organic, almost spontaneous energy, reminiscent of Matisse’s Blue Nudes series. The dripping paint and gestural lines evoke a sense of movement, reinforcing the sensuality of the pose. The arching posture of the figure conveys ecstasy or release, with an elongated, exaggerated form that enhances emotional intensity. The simplification of anatomy aligns with Fauvist principles—prioritizing emotional impact over precise realism. The choice of ultramarine is bold and effective. It has historical significance in art, often associated with spirituality and depth (as seen in Yves Klein’s monochromes), yet here it is used in a raw, expressive manner that makes the figure feel both powerful and ethereal. The use of tempera adds a unique opacity and depth to the strokes. It gives the painting a sense of immediacy, as if the artist captured the moment in a burst of inspiration. The visible brushwork and drips make the process part of the final aesthetic, reinforcing a connection between artist and viewer. The clear homage to Henri Matisse’s Blue Nude series is well-executed but doesn’t feel derivative—it builds upon his legacy while pushing it forward. The sensual yet modern representation of the female body echoes the freedom of early 20th-century modernists but with a contemporary edge. The piece also recalls the expressive, raw energy of Egon Schiele’s linework, albeit with a more fluid and painterly approach. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Artist Statement "I started by painting interiors, being interested in space and perspective through my studies. These scenes evolved, when I added the human figure. I focused more on the human figure and its relation to the background. The human figure is more present than ever in my paintings now. As a woman artist I’ve been preoccupied with the female form and its imagery. One of my goals was to capture the solitary moments and the nude’s relation to the surrounding space. My interest turned from depicting the space to rendering the atmosphere and the scene as a whole, the feeling a woman adds to the environment: warmth, desire, joy, a feeling of power and control, or the opposite – sadness, despair. Here is a collection of figurative paintings, exploring the nudes in interior spaces, seeing the nudes from my perspective, as a woman artist, considering the physical and spiritual realities of a woman’s body, in a new level of intimacy. My paintings are the opposite of objectifying a woman’s or a man’s anatomy. Painted works, featuring female nudes and a also men nudes, in a reversal of the male-artist/female-muse pattern, validate the feminine experience, defining myself through it. I was interested in how one experiences the body in a sensual form, and later focused on my own body, as I experience it myself, looking into the mirror and reconnecting. My work challenges the tradition of the nude by capturing my point of view, the gaze of a female painter, by using photography, drawings, sketches, and painting on canvas, for, both physical and psychological exploration. My art tries to create a visual language for emotion, beauty, feelings of intimacy and in the same time autonomy, captured with paint and vivid colors. My intense interest in color and the gestures of the brush strokes are the means I see and convey the subjects in space, as living, passionate beings." Paula Craioveanu

“Blue Sun” Tempera pencil charcoal on blue paper Shipped rolled in a tube 25x3x3in. Drawing was originally in mat, that covered the right corner!! The lines are the result of the pre...

Room with a View Male nude, made with ultramarine blue tempera, inspired by Matisse. 70x50cm / 27.5x19.5in Shipped rolled in a tube directly from Florida. Part of Nude Men series. T...

"Silence", pencil and ultramarine tempera on paper, inspired by Matisse. Part of Nude in Interior series. Large drawing. Shipped rolled in a tube. Size 39x27.5in /100x70cm Free shi...

“Pleasure Principle”, tempera pencil charcoal on blue paper Check 1stDibs free shipping code for items over $500. Shipped rolled in a tube, well packed. This bold and expressive dra...

“On the Beach”, tempera pencil charcoal on blue paper, frame included. Framed size 35.8x24in shipped framed. Check 1stDibs free shipping code for items over $500. This drawing is a d...

"Hercules and Deianira", ink on paper, part of Neo Mythology series. Comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist. Shipped rolled in a tube. Legend says Deianira w...

“Venus Restauree”, tempera pencil charcoal on blue paper. Check 1stDibs free shipping code for items over $500. Shipped rolled in a tube, well packed. Artist Statement "I started...

"Night Blues" Female Nude, seen from the back, and a second view in the mirror. from another perspective. Part of "Nude in Interior" series, inspired by Matisse. Ultramarine tempera ...

"Sea Centaur" Original art, signed 100x70cm / 30x27in ink, graphite, tempera on paper large size, shipped rolled in a tube directly from the artist's studio Antiquity is an endless ...

Centaur with Arch 100x70cm / 30x27in ink, graphite, tempera on paper large size, shipped rolled in a tube directly from the artist's studio Antiquity is an endless inspiration res...