Acrylic on Canvas, 2025

A personal homage to the beautiful city of Taranto in Puglia, Italy, the hometown of my grandfather.

The city is also called “la città dei due mari” - the city of the two seas - as it lies between the Mar Grande (the open, deep sea that faces the Ionian Sea) and the Mar Piccolo (a more secluded inland basin connected to the Mar Grande) which are key elements in the painting. The bridge connects the main part of the city with the historical centre which needs to be crossed in order to reach the railway station, where my grandfather left his beloved hometown with nothing but a small suitcase in 1960.

I dedicated it to him as well as to the many emigrants who, just like him, had to leave their home behind with a heavy heart and a resilient soul in search of a better life.