Priests at Play

Red, white and black--especially black--are the favorite colors of Nino Caffe. But for a long time, working away at still lifes, landscapes and portraits, he had small chance to use them. Then one day Caffe looked out of his window in Urbino and saw young black-frocked Italian seminarians roughhousing in a courtyard. He has concentrated ever since on painting Italy's young priests.

In Florence last week, where he was having a one-man show, Caffe was a clear success. His pictures of fledgling priests skipping rope, gossiping, romping on the beach, or playing mosca cieca/- have won him an enthusiastic Italian following, as well as buyers elsewhere. Painted in whites, reds and clerical blacks, the pictures are cheerful and lighthearted; the over-casual brushwork and the repetitious patterns are excused.

Caffe avoids the serious aspects of priesthood: "I only like to paint a priest when he is a human being--as when he is pedaling along with his flowing black gown or wrapped in wonder at the sight of a high-flying kite." He thinks the paintings have a nostalgic appeal: "The public looking at my paintings finds a little thread of a tale of the past. Fashions change, everything changes, but the priest always has the same appearance and represents an unchangeable personality."

Caffe admits that he has sometimes been tempted to paint Italy's fancy carabinieri, whose uniforms feature red, white and black too. His newest project: a commission from the Italian butchers' association for a series of paintings of young priests looking at appetizing cuts of fresh red meat.

/- "The blind fly" (blindman's buff).

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.