"Francesca da Rimini"

"Francesca da Rimini" 
 Kerry Wright, 1966 
Gouache on cartridge paper
25cm x 20cm (10in x 8in)

I could write so much about this painting! Suffice to say that it is an early work from my school days. I was 16 when I painted it in 1966. I had a major teenage crush on one of my teachers at the time. It was painted on the day of his wedding. It pretty much sums-up my state of mind on that day. I was an enormous fan of the music of Peter Tchaikovsky; one of my favourite pieces being his darkly melancholic Francesca da Rimini Overture. Dante's tragic tale of Francesca, her doomed marriage and subsequently tragic love affair seemed to fit-in with my mood that day, way back in 1966. In my painting, Francesca is symbolised by the spectral white hand (complete with wedding rings) descending into the Inferno, which is symbolised by the upward-thrusting, flame-like red hand.