Tommaso Provenzano was born in Bagheria in 1969, where he continues to live and work. After becoming a certified art instructor and taking a diploma in Applied Arts in Monreale, he specialised in figurative painting, mosaics and restoration. His great passion for colour, for the Sicilian puppet theatre and for cart painting led him to dedicate himself some 30 years ago to the decorative art of this traditional mode of transport. In the paintings of Tommaso Provenzano, battle scenes of the paladins and medieval jousting contests are portrayed in an entirely personal way, distinguished by their bold colours that evoke Sicily’s sun-drenched landscapes: ultramarine blue, vermillion and yellow ochre.
Opera
The paladins of France
Enamel and oil, 60 x 151 x 68.2 cm
The decorations of this refrigerator are inspired by the Sicilian tradition of cart painting. A series of chivalric scenes cover the surfaces: the front features a battle between paladins and Saracens, along with a scene of duelling knights in a medallion. On the left side is Orlando, on the right Rinaldo, both potrayed in full armour. Charlemagne riding a white horse is painted on the top. All of the scenes are embellished with lively geometric motifs in a panoply of blues, reds, greens and yellows.