Francesco la Rosa
Francesco la Rosa is an Italian contemporary artist who creates hyper realistic works of art on leather using a micro-carving technique.
His home town of Catania and its rich culture is a source of inspiration to him and he through his work as an artist he discovered and evolved his technique in order to be able to create his incredible pieces.
I was born in 1986 in a small town of Catania, a source of inspiration and rich in culture. The spark that started all this was made during a commission for an old client, when by chance I realised that I could use scalpels and knives to get a different effect to usual. From there I began a long and in-depth study to refine my technique. I am obsessed with the details, precision and perfection that characterises my work. First there are many studies and sketches on paper, then I bring that back to the PC and only when I’m sure I engrave it on the leather, because his technique leaves no room for error, the fear and adrenaline from that knowledge is something only I can understand when I start a job.
I think my passion for leather started when I was a child and the smell of it takes me back to my childhood. It is timeless, close to everything that is luxury from hotels, banks, fashion, cars. I think it is something primitive that stimulates sensuality. I have always tried to make the most of it and when I realised that I could make art on something that was previously alive I felt a strong emotion and that I had a responsibility to restore that immortality. It is an art that is full of energy and rich in culture – it is not for everyone.
My brand is an acronym of my name- the thing that distinguishes me. Every time I finish a piece I engrave my symbol to give give it my soul and my story – in this way it starts again as if it were another life.
I have just completed a perfect replica of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper in its original size of 8.6m x 4.6m. It is made from eighteen separate panels joined together at the end. I believe it is my best work but there are actually so many more things I want to do. One of my goals is to teach disabled children and use my art as therapy. Another is to use my art as witness and reflect reality in the same way that great painters in the past did.
I am indebted to my sponsor, Vicenza Pelli – without them and their supply and excellence of raw materials I would not have succeeded in reaching many of my goals.
