This 28 × 35 cm oil painting was painted outdoors in Monza, Lombardy, in Northern Italy. The subject is San Gerardino, a small church in Monza with a quiet architectural character and a warm Italian atmosphere.
What interested me most was not a large panoramic view, but the entrance of the church itself: the shape of the facade, the warm colours around the doorway and the rhythm created by the surrounding palms. The door and the entrance gave the whole motif a clear centre, while the trees and architectural forms helped build a simple but strong composition.
I painted this work from direct observation, trying to keep the feeling of the place fresh and immediate. The warm tones of the church, the Italian light and the compact architecture made San Gerardino a good subject for a small plein air oil painting.
For me, this kind of architectural motif works best when it is not treated as a strict illustration. I wanted the painting to keep the presence of the place — the church, the entrance, the palms and the atmosphere of Monza — but still remain a painterly, textured oil sketch.
The original painting is available directly from my studio.
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