The painting depicts a corner of the city of Berlin, captured in a moment of emptiness and silence, where the two figures in the foreground are absorbed in reading. The elderly Giuseppe Verdi reads the score of John Cage's 4:33, while the young woman carefully reads the stickers on the traffic lights.
The work is the first in the new "Otium" cycle, which will address the theme of leisure as the ancient Romans understood it: creative leisure, a time for study, personal and spiritual enrichment, as opposed to the workshop, that is, activities related to work and material gain. However, it highlights the difficulties and contradictions this concept presents today.
“Otium in via” was created by Antonio Mele.
The price is 5,500 EUR.
The work measures 140 x 110 cm (height x width).
The medium is Oil on canvas. Classified as Unspecified, People and portraits.
The work was completed in 2025.
