Artist Statement

In my painting, I move along the threshold between realism and abstraction. I am fascinated by the fleeting qualities of light, color, and atmosphere, and by the ways perception and memory shape our inner world. My paintings emerge from the interplay between external experience and inner feeling. They do not depict specific places so much as evoke moods, moments of stillness, and that delicate space between dream and reality.

The Cilento National Park in Southern Italy has long been a significant source of inspiration for my work. Its distinctive light, vast landscapes, and quiet presence continually inform my artistic process. Rather than representing nature descriptively, I seek to reveal its emotional resonance. Landscape becomes a reflection of inner states, memories, and sensations.

For me, color is an independent means of expression. I use it not to describe the visible world, but to create atmosphere and convey emotion. Each nuance of color contributes to an emotional vibration—a kind of temperature of feeling that shapes the space of the painting.

My work combines a sensitive perception of light with gestural freedom and atmospheric depth. It invites viewers to slow down, immerse themselves in subtle moods, and allow their own inner images and associations to emerge. Within this open space between perception and memory, nature and emotion, presence and dream, my paintings find their form.

— Sonja Kalmanfi

Paintings of the Cilento, Italy

Landscape paintings of Southern Italy

Art from the Cilento

Art from the Cilento National Park

Paintings of Italian landscapes

Sonja Kalmanfi

Cilento Gallery, Leipzig

Art from the Cilento, Italy