Inspired by a vision of Our Lady, an artist from the interior of SP takes works made with his fingertips abroad

Artist from the interior of SP paints religious figures using only his fingertips Painter Rafael Ferraraccio, from Campinas (SP), found an unconventional way of producing his works: instead of brushes or spatulas, he applies the paint directly with his fingers. The technique, adopted about a year ago, is mainly used in paintings of religious figures, such as Jesus Christ and Our Lady. ? Join the g1 Campinas channel on WhatsApp According to the artist, it all started spontaneously, during small touches on the screens. Until he decided to try painting an entire work with his hands. "Sometimes, I wanted to put my finger on the canvas to do a touch-up that hadn't turned out well with the brush. One day I decided to paint with my hand and it was very exciting for me. Afterwards I kind of didn't stop", he said. Since then, the technique has become a hallmark of Rafael's work. For him, developing his own style is one of his main achievements as an artist. "Today in the world of AI, everything is a copy. I managed to create a unique line, I think this is one of the most difficult things for an artist, a line where there is no copy, there is something intimate", he says. The artist's canvases have already been exhibited outside Brazil, in countries such as Belgium, Japan, Monaco, Iceland, Poland, Spain and France. Rafael Ferraraccio paints religious figures with his fingertips Estevão Mamédio/g1 Vision of Our Lady Rafael says that he has always had a connection with art and works with a scenery company, but only started painting in 2022. At the time, he used some of his daughter's canvases to try to reproduce a vision of Our Lady that he claims to have had at the age of 18. "I had been remembering a vision I had of Our Lady for some time, so I thought it would be interesting to pay homage. But I didn't really remember the face, so I left it without it", he said. The next day, he decided to try again. "I bought another canvas and some paints in shades of pink and painted until it was 100% the same as my vision. When I got it, I was very emotional. It moved me," he recalled. The experience marked the beginning of a production that, according to Rafael, already exceeds 300 paintings, most with religious themes. Part of the works were donated to hospitals, including: Hospital Augusto de Oliveira Camargo, in Indaiatuba (SP); the Hospital of the Support Group for Adolescents and Children with Cancer (GRAACC), in São Paulo (SP); the Boldrini Hospital, in Campinas; and Hospital de Amor, in Barretos (SP). Personalities such as Alok, Marcos Mion and singer Daniel have also received pieces from the artist. Rafael also claims to have been invited by the administration of Christ the Redeemer to produce paintings inspired by the monument. Despite the projection achieved, he says that one of the most important parts of the work is precisely the works aimed at people in vulnerable situations. For Rafael, painting stopped having just an artistic meaning and started to also carry a spiritual dimension. "The craziest thing of all is that, in some way, art touches these people in vulnerable situations. I keep thinking how, with a canvas I painted, I can make someone on the other side cry, how they feel touched by the images of God, of Our Lady." DJ Alok and singer Daniel have already received paintings from Rafael Social networks *Intern under the supervision of Gabriella Ramos. VIDEOS: everything about Campinas and the region See more news about the region on g1 Campinas