當建築的理性構圖邂逅繪畫的感性表達，會催生什麼樣的藝術火花？若想了解一位義大利建築師如何以熱帶色彩重塑香港都市風景，Francesco Lietti 的畫作便是最好的詮釋：每一幅都是記憶的拼貼，每一筆都是旅程的印記。
What emerges when architectural rationality meets painterly sensibility? To see how an Italian architect reinterprets Hong Kong’s urban landscape through a tropical palette, turn to Francesco Lietti’s works: each a collage of memories, every stroke a trace of a journey.
Long Lasting Freshness
80 x 80 cm, 2017
Travel Through Time
80 x 80 cm, 2017
來自意大利萊科的 Francesco Lietti，擁有米蘭理工大學建築學位，在巴黎深造，倫敦執業，卻在 2006 年的一次橫跨歐亞大陸的旅行中與香港不期而遇。這位建築師轉型的畫家，用他獨特的視角記錄著亞洲的風景。
Born in Lecco, Italy, Francesco Lietti holds an architecture degree from Milan Polytechnic, furthered his studies in Paris, practiced in London, yet unexpectedly encountered Hong Kong during a 2006 transcontinental journey. This architect-turned-painter records Asian landscapes with his unique perspective.
Our Happy Place
100 x 95 cm, 2024
With Your loved Ones
100 x 95 cm, 2024
Francesco 的畫作最引人注目的是那些大膽奔放的色彩。橘紅、翠綠、寶藍、金黃，這些在歐洲建築圖紙上絕不會出現的顏色，在他的畫布上恣意綻放。他解釋道，亞洲的光線與歐洲截然不同，「這裡的陽光更強烈，顏色更飽和，連影子都帶著色彩。」他的調色盤因此變得更加勇敢，每一種顏色都像是被熱帶的陽光點燃。
Most striking in Francesco’s paintings are those bold, unrestrained colors. Orange-red, emerald green, sapphire blue, golden yellow: colors that would never appear on European architectural drawings bloom freely on his canvas. He explains that Asian light differs completely from Europe’s: “The sunlight here is more intense, colors more saturated, even shadows carry color.” His palette thus becomes braver, each color as if ignited by tropical sun.
Sunset with Junk
90 x 60 cm, 2012
Clear Path
70 x 90 cm, 2024
他的創作技法融合了建築師的結構感與藝術家的自由度。畫面常常從幾何形狀開始：方形的建築、三角形的屋頂、圓形的太陽，但隨後這些規則的形狀會被打破、重疊、融化。建築物不再垂直站立，而是像在熱浪中搖晃；街道不再筆直，而是像河流般蜿蜒。這種「有序的混亂」正是亞洲城市給他的感受，既有規劃又充滿生機，既現代又傳統。
His creative technique merges an architect’s sense of structure with an artist’s freedom. Paintings often begin with geometric shapes: square buildings, triangular roofs, circular suns. But then these regular forms are broken, overlapped, melted. Buildings no longer stand vertically but sway as if in heat waves; streets no longer run straight but meander like rivers. This “ordered chaos” captures his feeling of Asian cities, which are both planned and vibrant, both modern and traditional.
By Night
100 x 75 cm,2010
A New Season Is Coming
180 x 140 cm, 2024
最獨特的是他的混合媒材運用。Francesco不滿足於單純的顏料，他的畫作像是立體的記憶盒子。一張從曼谷街頭撿來的傳單變成天空的一部分，西貢咖啡館的收據構成建築的輪廓，香港電車票根排列成窗戶的圖案。他甚至會把沙子、布料、金屬片貼在畫布上，創造出觸感豐富的表面。「這些物件都有自己的故事，」他說，「當它們成為畫作的一部分，就把那個地方的靈魂也帶了進來。」
Most unique is his mixed media approach. Francesco isn’t satisfied with paint alone; his paintings are like three-dimensional memory boxes. A flyer picked up from Bangkok streets becomes part of the sky, a Saigon café receipt forms building outlines, Hong Kong tram ticket stubs arrange into window patterns. He even glues sand, fabric, metal pieces onto canvas, creating richly textured surfaces. “These objects all have their own stories,” he says. “When they become part of the painting, they bring that place’s soul with them.”
Colours of Hong Kong
210 x 540 cm, 2017
Wanna Learn More?
50 x 70 cm, 2024
他筆下的香港別樣迷人。維港不是藍色的水面，而是金色、紫色、橙色的光影交響曲。中環的摩天大樓像積木般堆疊，但每一塊都透著不同的光。舊唐樓的窗戶變成了萬花筒，每扇都映照著不同的生活片段。在他的畫中，香港既擁擠又寬闊，既喧囂又寧靜，既國際化又充滿地道風情。
His Hong Kong is particularly enchanting. Victoria Harbour isn’t a blue water surface but a symphony of golden, purple, orange light and shadow. Central’s skyscrapers stack like building blocks, but each glows with different light. Old tenement windows become kaleidoscopes, each reflecting different life fragments. In his paintings, Hong Kong is both crowded and spacious, both noisy and peaceful, both international and authentically local.
Sheung Wan Chill Out
80 x 80 cm, 2017
All For Rent
60 x 60 cm, 2019
Francesco Lietti 用他的畫筆證明：藝術本無疆界。身為意大利人，他卻以用亞洲的眼光看世界，用建築師的邏輯構圖，用旅人的心境著色。他的每一幅畫都是一次前往記憶與想像邊界的旅行。在那裡，所有的顏色都有可能，所有的形狀都會流動，所有城市都在同一片天空下呼吸。
Francesco Lietti’s brush affirms that art knows no borders. Italian by origin, he observes the world through Asian eyes, composes with an architect’s mind, and paints with a traveler’s soul. Every canvas becomes a voyage to the edges of memory and imagination, to a place where all colors become possible, all forms flow like water, and all cities breathe together under one sky.
圖片提供：Francesco Lietti
Courtesy of Francesco Lietti