Narrative Bodies and Intimacy in Contemporary Figurative Painting

Today, figurative painting does not necessarily seem to offer itself up for renewal: references to past and present may be combined to create heterochronic compositions that, in a logic of continuity, elicit an affective rather than intellectual reception. Following this perspective, does the interest in figurative painting indicate a genuine revival or a simple aesthetic choice that has always existed, capable of conveying the emotional essence of a work? By examining the work of three contemporary classical painters, I will analyze the elements that create this emotional encounter.