Agalis Manessi

Agalis Manessi’s work lies within the tradition of maiolica and celebrates this rich historical medium. It strives for poetic mastery through pictorial representation, achieving a freshness of palette that belies the difficulty of the process. Subject matter is derived from portraits, figures and animal studies in museum collections or drawn directly from life. Once dipped in the glaze, vessels become like primed canvasses, with a subtle intermixing of oxides and stains creating a painterly palette. Modelled animals are portraits whose gentle humour is offset by the suggestive poise of their condensed forms camouflaged within the painted surface.