Roberto de Pinto Ornato, 2026

Ornato [Adorned] depicts de Pinto’s recurring male figure reclining against a dark ground. The body is shown with flowers, vines, pearls, jewellery, and ornamental details arranged across the skin. The title, meaning “adorned,” refers to these decorative elements and to the way the figure is presented.

The work brings together several central elements of de Pinto’s practice: the male body, self-representation, intimacy, idleness, and the integration of natural motifs such as flowers, vines, and pearls. These elements are combined with references to art historical traditions, including classical representations of the reclining figure, Renaissance and Baroque treatments of the adorned body, and the use of symbolic ornament in still life and portraiture. His cold-wax encaustic technique combines wax, pigments, and charcoal, creating a surface that evokes skin and touch. Inspired in part by the Fayum mummy portraits, the technique gives the figure a strong physical presence while producing a patina similar to that of frescoed walls.