Card. Camillo Ruini - Gianfranco Paulli Sculptor

Gianfranco Paulli is a sublime sculptor of the human figure, especially when he uses marble, the same white and luminous material that draws on the school of Antonio Canova and on the height of Neoclassicism. Paulli is the creator of works that extol the aesthetic values of idealized figures portrayed in harmonious movements that radiate an unresistable life force into their surroundings. The observer is captured by an accurately orchestrated visual narration that starts from the features on charmingly expressive faces and finishes with the postures of naked bodies whose graceful lines express an interior beauty that is never overbearing and is always linked to the light and shadow effects that distinguish the surfaces and demurely explore the most hidden folds of their anatomy. These features are even more evident in the statues of female figures that are often represented resting, in a relaxed pose or curved in intimate meditation. In any case, women are the favourite theme of the artist's poetics, portrayed in the immature physique of adolescence, in the soft, warm curves of maternity or as busts clearly inspired by classicism. His research stems from, and matures thanks to, cultural studies that include collections from Italy's history of art, the iconography of Ancient Greek and Roman statues, the expressive force of Italian Baroque and the teachings of 20th century realism. It is important to mention that for many years Paulli worked at restoring and preserving the ancient marble sculptures of the collections of the Vatican Museums, further enhancing his technical knowledge to the extent of fully exploiting the plastic and aesthetic qualities of the most precious material ever used in sculpture.

Cardinal Camillo Ruini