Mimmo Paladino studied art in his Benevento, Italy, hometown and developed as an accomplished painter, printmaker, sculptor, and draughtsman. A leading figure of the Transavanguardia movement, Paladino focuses his work on stylized, abstracted images and narrative subjects. In Tana, the textures Paladino uses enhance the dream-like nature of the piece. Tana also makes use of the artist’s knowledge of geometry and physics in the balance of shapes and volumes. In this work, the face appears mask-like, with the eyes and mouth open.