Mark Venaglia

Lisa Sfumato
24 x 24
Casein Fresco on canvas

1972, I was cutting high school classes to visit my grandmother’s sister and brother-in-law on Washington Square West, the segregated area for Italians who’d moved on up. As impatient as I recall becoming, I’m now so grateful for every Original Cappuccino café, butcher, and locally owned shop my Great Uncle would make the rounds to, with me in hand. All family contact was severed in 1984 upon my officially coming out. The city itself became my Family of Choice. “Lisa Sfumato” provides an intimate Mona Lisa experience no longer possible because of Louvre security obsessions. Her smirk reflects every New Yorker’s gut certainty: The Village always self corrects. I’ve chosen to highlight all existing cracks and surface damage in trompe l’oeil technique. Duchamp, who lived in the W. Village, created several conceptual pieces also inspired by La Gioconda.