Art History Through a Modern Lens
In his digital paintings, Marco Battaglini pastiches together bits of Renaissance art with graffiti and other elements of modern pop — not unlike the divine versus the vulgar. By mashing opposing visual traditions, the Italian artist (living in Costa Rica) challenges the viewer to contemplate a variety of topics: cultural democratization, the evolution of knowledge and information, and what he calls our ‘patchwork culture.’
But just because he applies tattoos and brand logos to famously porcelain skin, don’t go thinking these are schlocky items of throwaway kitsch. A single piece from the artist, among the elite stable at Saatchi, costs upwards of $20k.
