Artist Jean-François Gandon has created a monumental mural at the entrance of the village of Ghisoni, Corsica, blending memory, heritage, and cultural transmission in a work that spans three meters by six meters—his largest creation to date. The impressive fresco emerged from a chance encounter and reflects the artist's deep connection to the Corsican mountains.
The project began in May when Ghisoni's mayor, Don Marc Albertini, approached Gandon knowing of his artistic talents. The municipal council had voted to beautify a technical facility housing fiber optic and electrical infrastructure, located just outside the village on the Verde Pass road. "They automatically thought of me," recalls Gandon, who is originally from Bastelica. The artist immediately accepted the challenge, despite never having worked on such a large scale before. "I had done murals before, but never at this scale. It was a real challenge," he explained.
Mayor Albertini gave Gandon complete creative freedom for the project. "I still showed my sketches to the mayor. He trusted me," the artist said. "I sought to understand what Ghisoni truly is: its soul, its landscape, its history." This research led to a rich and complex composition featuring several iconic elements of the region, including the Inzecca gorge, a statue of Neptune, Mount Kyrie Eleison, and a Genoese bridge that symbolically connects different eras and peoples.
The Neptune statue holds particular significance for Gandon. "I especially love this Neptune statue," he confides. "It was created by the same sculptor who made the statue of Sampieru Corsu in Bastelica, my village. It's a kind of thread connecting our two communities." This personal connection adds another layer of meaning to the already symbolic work.
Water emerges as the central theme of the mural, reflecting Ghisoni's most prominent characteristic. "What is striking about Ghisoni is the water," Gandon explains, though the article's full explanation of this theme and the concept of transmission remains behind a paywall. The mural represents not just artistic decoration but a celebration of the village's natural environment and cultural heritage, serving as both a welcome to visitors and a reminder to residents of their community's unique identity and history.
