It is well known that the city of Naples always reserves some pleasant surprises. Perhaps it is not one of the Italian capitals of street art.
If you have the opportunity to take a guided tour of the city to discover these open-air works (there are guides specialized in just this), the quantity and quality will leave you speechless.
Just like the new gigantic mural donated by Voiello to Naples and created by the artist Leticia Mandragora in collaboration with the Neapolitan fashion designer collective VNMNS1926.
The mermaid of Naples
The mural Partenope, Mother of the neighborhoods of Napleswhich represents the mermaid Partenope, the mythical founder of the city, is located in Piazza Francesco Muzii, in the Arenella district, takes us back to the origins of the city and underlines the beauty and variety of the neighborhoods that compose it.
The mermaid Parthenope, according to one of the legends concerning her, was among those who tried to enchant Ulysses in Homer’s Odyssey. Desperate for her failure, she decided to take her own life and her body, dragged by the waves, landed in the gulf of Naples, on the islet of Megaris. Here in Piazza Muzii he holds ears of wheat in his hand, a symbol of fertility and abundance and right on the tail, depicted as scales, there are the 30 coats of arms that identify the neighborhoods.
The artist
The artist, Leticia Mandragora, born in Madrid to a Spanish mother and Neapolitan father, is closely linked to the capital of Campania, so much so that she decided to move there at the age of 15. The city hosts several works by her, all characterized by the use of cobalt blue (Maradona, Sophia Loren, Eleonora de Fonseca Pimentel) – a color that has always also characterized Voiello’s brand identity – and by the intensity of the expressions that her interpretation makes it even more realistic. Furthermore, her predilection for the representation of female subjects ties perfectly with the idea behind the mural.