It was a wonderful evening, I was able to experience the affection of so many people and the joy of sharing one of my paintings with the entire parish community. I can finally reveal this painting that I have been working on for the past 6 months, a totally new experience, both for the compositional complexity, superior to the paintings I made up to now, and for the narration that had to fit well within an architecture already rich in sublime works. I obviously thank everyone present and the support they gave me, I thank the parish priest Don Michele Amorosini, the Mayor Michele de Chirico, Don Felice di Molfetta who blessed the work and made a masterly intervention and Sandro Barbagallo who dedicated a text to me that we placed inside a beautiful leaflet. I hope that this is only the first of several works in which my love for narration can find confirmation and for this reason, I can’t wait to get back to work on other exciting projects!!
I also want to thank all the models that in these months have been working with be in a such high professional way!

“This intense depiction of the “Baptism of Christ”, the work of the young painter Giuseppe De Palma, was conceived to be placed in the chapel of the baptismal font of the Parish Church of Santa Maria di Sovereto in Terlizzi, a place that preserves and celebrates the mystery of spiritual regeneration. The evangelical subject – the moment in which Jesus receives baptism from John in the Jordan River – resonates here with strength and coherence, offering the faithful a lively and contemplative image of their entry into the new life of faith. The scene is constructed with balance and solemnity: Christ at the center, in his vulnerable and glorious humanity, welcomes the water with a humble gesture, while John the Baptist, placed on a rocky rise, performs the sacramental gesture with firmness and concentration. Above them, a luminous dove – symbol of the Holy Spirit – descends among the clouds, to seal the divine consecration. Next to Christ, two angels participate in the mystery with delicate and respectful gestures: one offers the purple cloak that will dress the Savior, the other kneels in silent adoration. A young, half-naked figure observes the scene with eyes full of wonder: it represents humanity itself, placed before the revelation of the Son of God. The work reveals an extraordinary technical mastery and a harmonious composition that dialogues with the academic tradition, but which stands out for a personal and vibrant touch. The body of Christ is treated with sensitivity and respect, while the pyramidal arrangement guides the gaze upwards, towards the open sky from which Grace descends. The light, the landscape and the chromatic range contribute to creating a climate of suspension and meditation, in which visible reality opens up to the presence of the transcendent. I have known and followed with sincere esteem for several years the artistic path of Giuseppe De Palma, a young man from Molfetta who trained in Florence. I had the opportunity to appreciate up close not only his growth in painting technique, but above all the maturation of his artistic and interior spirit. His painting, after all, is born from a profound need: to give visible form to what is invisible, to communicate beauty as a path to truth and the transcendental. This work, in fact, intended for the baptismal font of Santa Maria di Sovereto, is not just a representation: it is a spiritual sign that accompanies the believer in the decisive moment of Christian rebirth. It is a precious gift, full of silence, prayer, light. And this is why I invite you to reread this Gospel passage: "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And behold, a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son; with him I am well pleased'" (Matthew 3:16-17).”

Sandro Barbagallo

Curator of the Historical Collections of the Vatican Museums

Consultant of the Office of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff