III. The presence of the unconscious in the interstices of De Francesco's painting

Before seeing the works of Francesco De Francesco I never had the perception of seeing something that had been known to me for some time without ever having been aware of it.In fact, his works appear to me—both in their expressive vitality and in their rare opacity—to be the result of a strong and lively passion for painting of which the author has always been aware, but remained invisible to others for a long time, like a fuse that proceeds under trace.The long underground advance of passion, on the one hand probably delayed the definition of the artist's world and its representation, on the other hand made it richer and more complex, naturally nourishing first-hand visual culture, sedimented in listening to the classics and in the reflection and silence. These modalities are indispensable for any creative act that aspires to escape trends and also the haste of our time. A singular area of research was born, which can conveniently be compared to certain surrealist outcomes and the noble atmospheres of metaphysical painting.De Francesco’s unusual canvases come towards us as mysterious creatures, immersed in the light of the unconscious or touched by its shadows: including more realistic works, or his representations of technical-scientific subject matter, or even the alienating contaminations of mythological tales. Everything is reconstructed and remembered for a sought of restlessness; and for that thrill that almost always freezes the surface, presenting itself each time as the artist's signature.