“Gioia”

Artist: Rosana Auqué
Year: 2021
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 280 × 180 cm

Gioia – A Contemporary Painting by Rosana Auqué

“Gioia” (2021) is a large-scale acrylic on canvas measuring 280 x 180 cm. Created as a special commissioned work for a private collector in Italy, this painting represents a profound meditation on the four elements of nature — water, earth, fire, and air — interpreted through color, movement, and symbolic light.

Rather than presenting the elements as literal landscapes, Rosana Auqué translates them into emotional states. The painting becomes a space where energy, harmony, and vitality coexist. “Gioia” is not only a landscape; it is an atmosphere. It embodies joy as a living presence — expansive, luminous, and in constant transformation.

The Four Elements as Emotional Architecture

Water – The Origin of Life

The composition begins with water, conceived as the source of existence. In “Gioia,” water is not static but generative — a field where forms are born and evolve. Its fluidity sets the rhythm of the painting, inviting the viewer into a space of openness and possibility.

Earth and Fire – Energy in Motion

From this fluid foundation, the painting transitions into earth and fire. These elements introduce density, texture, and movement. The surface reveals layers that evoke vitality and expansion, suggesting growth, grounding, and transformation. Fire appears not as destruction but as creative force — the spark that activates the landscape.

Air – Light and Ascent

The final element, air, is expressed through luminosity and white floral forms rising toward the sky. These white flowers symbolize purity and elevation, suggesting a movement beyond the material toward clarity and balance. The blue sky that frames them evokes the serenity of a spring day — a moment of lightness, renewal, and shared happiness.

A Commission Rooted in Personal Joy

“Gioia” was created for a collector in Italy, making it a deeply personal project. The scale of the work allowed Rosana Auqué to explore spatial harmony in a more immersive way. Throughout the process, she experimented with multiple chromatic textures and layered dimensions, seeking equilibrium between intensity and calm.

The painting reflects a state of emotional fullness — a joyful landscape infused with memory. The blue tones recall the freshness of spring, the gentle breeze of a bright day, and the quiet presence of loved ones. It is a work that carries intimacy within expansiveness.

Rather than illustrating joy, “Gioia” constructs it. The composition balances contrasting elements — density and lightness, movement and stillness — into a unified field. The result is a painting that radiates openness without losing depth.

Technique, Scale and Visual Impact

Executed in acrylic on canvas, the 280 x 180 cm format amplifies the immersive quality of the work. The vertical orientation enhances the sense of ascent suggested by the air element, while the breadth of the surface allows for the coexistence of multiple visual layers.

The use of color is deliberate and structural. Blues create atmospheric depth, while warmer tones introduce energetic vibration. White forms punctuate the composition, guiding the eye upward and reinforcing the symbolic narrative of elevation.

“Gioia” stands within Rosana Auqué’s broader exploration of emotional landscapes, where nature becomes a metaphor for internal states. The painting embodies balance — not as symmetry, but as living harmony.

Frequently Asked Questions About “Gioia”