Rossano Ferrari - Red Trombone Rossano Ferrari's paintings feature masks. Some are dark, more are blazingly bright. Some images are small, others large. Some stand alone, others are intricately interconnected.

But Ferrari doesn't hide behind any masks – he uses them to express the inner self, his true identity.

"The mask is equity," Ferrari said from his studio in Italy. "It is like carnivale, where everyone wears masks, and rich, poor, whatever, everyone is equal. It is freedom."

Ferrari's art, to be exhibited in Fort Lauderdale at Red Trombone – A Gallery, Jan. 12 to March 10, employ masks in abundance. But they reveal much.

"It's like being in front of a mirror," he said. "You discover your soul."

Some American critics have likened Ferrari's work to pop art. European commentators have termed his work post-chromatic. Ferrari accepts both categorizations, at least in part.

"It is true that I use bold color; color is life," he said. "But it starts with history."

Ferrari's own history took quite a turn. Born in Moderno, expectations were for him to be an architect in the family business, but his true calling was art. "All my life, I've loved art, maybe too much," he said.

After winning an art competition as a teen, he never looked back. "With me," he said, "it is a passion."

Since 2001, his work has appeared at dozens of exhibitions, in South Florida and in Italy, including Sotheby's, Art Basel and the Gaddarte in Florence. He has also won numerous prizes, including an "art Oscar" in Viterbo, Italy and a first prize at the Leonardo da Vinci competion in Rome.

The masks, he said, are ingrained in our history. They're the classic symbols, comedy and tragedy, of Greek theater. They're thematic of carnivals in Venice, and the world over. African nations have long understood the power and magic of masks.

"With a mask, you may not be recognized, you're not scared to say or do certain things," Ferrari said. "I discover, through my painting, what is behind the mask, so that others can understand. To me, it is freedom."

"The Sky" is arresting, a whirlpool of yellow lips and eyes on hues of blue.

"West Avenue" features an erotic embracing couple, against a background of all-seeing eyes, and maybe a bit of government intrusion.

"Burning Fire," blues and reds, is a flame of passion, consuming and consumed.

Only reluctantly will he name influences: Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Botticelli, Picasso. Perhaps. "I don't know," he said. "Art that repeats is just design. I follow my instinct, I try to be me."

All of us, Ferrari said, can be artists -- painters, musicians, writers, sculptors, whatever. But most of us are too lazy. Instead of seeing what's inside, we watch TV.

Ferrari stokes his own creativity in two ways. He paints most every day. Or, he thinks about painting.

"Painting is like a dream," he said. "A world without dreams is nothing, so I just try to realize the dream."

Rossano Ferrari's work will be featured at Red Trombone Gallery starting with an invitation-only preview on Jan. 12 through March 10.

Also at the gallery:

* The sculptures of Emanuele Viscuso, born in Palermo, Italy, now a resident of Miami. Viscuso, also an attorney, musician, designer and cultural promoter, "freezes" music in his sculpture. His most famous piece is the 45-foot-large sculpture "Wave-bridge on the imaginary" located at the Milan Malpensa international airport.

Red Trombone – A Gallery
Featuring Refreshing Affordable Art
www.redtrombonegallery.com

North Beach Art District 3313 N.E. 33rd Street Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33308
954 530-9539

Gallery Hours
Tuesday - Saturday 1:30 - 7:00, or by appointment
Art Walk First Saturday of Each Month 6pm - 11pm