A new work that marks a significant innovation within the digital art project “Puzzling Classics”. This creation not only evolves the production technique but also redefines the formal language and concepts that characterize the body of works belonging to the project, inaugurating a new series.

The first piece in this series is a small-scale portrait (33x31x0.4 cm), inspired by Raffaello’s famous painting “Lady with the Unicorn”. Unlike the previous two-dimensional digital works, in this new production, the hundreds of photographic tiles – which reproduce details of the mosaic flooring of the Basilica of San Marco – are no longer mere images but are transformed into physical glass paste tiles.

These form a tangible mosaic, offering a material and sensory dimension that enriches the aesthetic experience. The most attentive observer cannot fail to perceive the suggestion of a true “transmutation,” a passage from one material to another that mirrors the creative process: photographing fragments of the mosaic flooring, digitally restoring them, cutting the images into virtual tiles, and finally bringing them back to life in the finished work as inlaid marble tiles, perceptible both to the eye and to the touch.

The gaps between the tiles are filled with gold-painted cotton threads, which seem to hold the fragments together and anchor the work in a delicate balance of harmony. With this piece, the “Puzzling Classics” project opens up new expressive possibilities, inviting reflection on the relationship between tradition, innovation, and materiality in contemporary art. — Let me know if you need any adjustments or additional details!