Pelagico Series | 2013-2015

“I NEED THE SEA BECAUSE IT TEACHES ME.” 

–Pablo Neruda

Nicola Parente has long been captivated by the lessons offered by the sea. From his childhood home on the southern Italian shores of the Adriatic Sea to his life now on the Texas Gulf Coast, Parente has been shaped and inspired by his experience of the sea. In his new series of reductive abstract paintings entitled Pelagico, Parente beckons the observer to consider both the sea that lies within and the expanse of sea that brings life to the world.

The paintings in this vibrant series capture the paradox of the sea that may be observed as, at once, contemplative calm and wild abandon. Parente’s use of negative space and a ground of white draws the observer into the experience of serenity, while his introduction of undulating black lines and flashes of brilliant blues and iridescent greens bring forceful energy and movement to his work.

“Pelagico celebrates the deep connection that the sea makes with all inhabitants of our planet” according to Parente. “Water is essential for life. While some may view the seas as boundaries that separate, I see connection. The water that spans the globe touches and unites the shorelines of all the continents. The seas are shared in common with all, connecting and sustaining all life,” says Parente.