"Figure" Painting

After completing my studies in electronics, I wished to express myself artistically through an abstract-conceptual approach. Aware of the difficulty of quickly making a name for myself in the contemporary art world—and being a skilled Impressionist painter—I chose to secure a reliable income that would allow me to live a dignified life. Consequently, I pursued a long and successful career as a figurative painter. Around the age of thirty, I outlined my future artistic direction in a manifesto titled "The Flying Carpet" (*Il tappeto volante*), resolving to create a body of work organized into distinct periods and themes. The COVID-19 pandemic gave me the opportunity to rapidly produce a large number of works, enabling me to express my personal vision within the contemporary art world.
THE FLYING CARPET
Art Manifesto by Claudio Ciardi
The "Flying Carpet" as liberation from the comprehended object (the defined image).
A spirit of transcending conceptual discourse—yet one born *from* that very "conceptual discourse."
Liberation of instinct, and thus a force of unconscious liberation free from external references.
A labyrinthine space for "mental" immersion. A magnet for individual senses.
A catalyst for inner visions. A meditative realm of the imagination.
An emptying of forms and content. An exaltation of Freedom.
The "Carpet" is, in itself, a state of reflective stillness.
The very image of "Flying" conveys a sense of liberation through the simplicity of form.
Contemplation as a means of understanding.
There is a need to let emotions flow; fluidity must take its course. I find joy in letting go, not in rationalizing a gesture or a thought. The "Flying Carpets" (*Tappeti Volanti*) art project aims to offer a redemptive state of inner exploration. It posits that Truth lies hidden within the folds of silence—Truth is not heard through speech or verbal anticipation, but through observation.
A key feature of the "Flying Carpets" project is a return to color—a desire to restore a joyful connection between the viewer and the artwork.
Another defining element of the "Flying Carpets" creations is what I envision as a political journey.
The works are structured, deconstructed, and reassembled to form a unified whole composed of multiple "presences" of constituent elements.