Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (2021)

Sadko Hadzihasanovic
Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone 
2021  
oil on canvas  
10 x 10 inches
 
from the exhibition Close Shave at Paul Petro Contemporary Art from January 14 - February 19, 2022:
 
"Naples; the barber’s little shop, facing the sea and the sun. Sweltering quays; you lift the blind and step in. You let yourself go. How long will it last? Quietness. Drops of sweat on your temples. Tickling of lather on your cheeks. And the barber refines upon his shaving, when he has finished - goes on shaving with an ever skilfuller blade, and now, with the help of a little sponge soaked in warm water, he relaxes the skin and lifts the upper lip. Then he washes the smart with a gently perfumed lotion, and after that, soothes it again with an emollient cream." — André Gide "Fruits of the Earth" (1895)

"In 1985, during my mandatory service as a soldier in the Yugoslav National Army, one book came to my attention. It was “Fruits of the Earth “ by André Gide. My personal freedom was so limited in this rigorous army regime that reading pages of this book gave me the ability to travel in my mind all around the world. I was able to taste cold water from a well in Sahara, eat exotic fruits and walk the streets of Naples.

One story about a barber shop in Naples especially resonated very deeply with me. When I was off the duty in Army I produced 3 large paintings, each 120 x 150 cm, with a shaving subject. In them I was interested in the tangible quality of white cream, messy hair and the flesh of face.

After 35 years, and during pandemic, I revisited the same theme: shaving and barber shops. This time my first response was visual. I enjoyed the compositional possibility of scenes of barbers and customers.

By doing painting after painting I became interested in other things as well such as beautiful flesh, reflections of the blade, whiteness of cream, trust and loyalty, scent of perfume, presence of blood, cutting hair as a symbol of power (Samson), shaving as a metaphor for purity, and
human touch." — Sadko Hadzihasanovic, 15 October 2021