About the presence of religious themes in Deluigi's painting

From the 1940's to the 1950's, Deluigi often used religious themes from the Old and New Testaments in titles for his work.
Coming from a family of practising Catholics and studying Classics under the Salesians undoubtedly influenced his spiritual development.
Although not a practicing Catholic himself, his cahiers and aphorisms often feature the figure of an angel as protector; and God as light.
Indeed the first picture he painted during his 'physiological' period was 'Saint Sebastian', followed by 'Tobias and the Angel' and 'The Resurrection of Lazarus' – just some of the most significant canvasses.
Significant too is the great altarpiece dedicated to the Beatitudes of the Virgin, shown at the Biennale of 1950 and now in the Vatican's Museo d'Arte Contemporanea.


Before his death, Mario Deluigi wrote: