Artist transforms Italy’s radiotherapy departments

Ospedali Dipinti (“Painted Hospitals”) founder Silvio Irilli’s breathtaking, technicolor murals astound patients and radiation therapy staff alike

Most radiation therapy department personnel likely consider treatment rooms and other radiotherapy clinic spaces as rather utilitarian. For patients – children especially – the clinical atmosphere can be intimidating. In Italy that all began to change when, in 2011, Silvio Irilli arrived on the scene. From energetic cartoon animals and majestic images of ancient Rome, to coral reefs teeming with vibrant sea creatures, 24 Italian radiotherapy clinics and hospitals to date are now places that evoke strong positive emotions, rather than the stress of cancer therapy.

Born in Chieri, Italy, 52-year-old Silvio began drawing at the age of six and dreamed of continuing this activity as an adult. He fulfilled this dream when, at age 21, Silvio adopted painting as a profession, providing caricatures of sportsmen in weekly or monthly magazines.

“Seeing my productions published gave me confidence that I could continue with my artistic profession and pushed me to see what more I could do,” he recalls. “I had some success and also some rejections, but the latter didn’t bother me because I knew painting was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. My reputation spread slowly but surely and in 2007 I got a huge break.”

On his first trip flying abroad at age 37, that “break” was Atlanta’s Georgia Aquarium, which commissioned Silvio to paint two murals, one on a wall section and another on the facility’s atrium during 2007-2008.

“In the atrium, it’s basically the first thing you see as you enter the aquarium and it’s cinematographic – you can envision the motion of these porpoises, an enormous whale shark and other fish,” he says. “This project was a major milestone and turning point for me because it identified my primary talent, which is depictions of marine life. It’s what I’m really passionate about.”

Silvio’s repute spread from that point on, especially in his home country. In 2011, radiation oncology department officials at Rome’s Ospedale Policlinico Gemelli (Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital) called him to discuss the possibility of creating murals in their department.

“They imagined that patients viewing such artwork would make them feel better when embarking on such a serious journey,” he remembers. He reprised the aquatic theme for one Gemelli bunker (“Acquario”) in 2011 and proposed different subjects for two others – this time portrayals of the ancient Roman community of Villa Adriana (“Aventino”) with the Aventino view and a route within Villa Adriana (“Tivoli”) and The Colosseum (“Colosseo”) completed in 2012 and 2013.

Silvio’s Gemelli projects, including the 2014 “Il Giardino dei Sogni” (The Garden of Dreams), inspired him to launch his project dedicated to hospitals called Ospedali Dipinti (“Painted Hospitals”). From 2015 to today, adorning the walls and ceilings of radiotherapy departments with spectacular undersea vistas and stunning landscapes has been an obsession of Silvio’s Ospedali Dipinti.

“I love transforming hospital departments into emotional environments, because the patient is not just a patient, he or she is a person.”

Painting with a purpose

But Silvio stresses that Ospedali Dipinti isn’t just art for art’s sake – far from it. It’s about the feelings that his works elicit among radiotherapy department staff and, in particular, patients.

“I love transforming hospital departments into emotional environments, because the patient is not just a patient, he or she is a person,” he observes. “This is especially important when children must face cancer treatment. They find themselves in a context that is outside their normal world. It’s critical to recreate their childhood world in a hospital ward, which allows them to continue dreaming.

This is why every work I make must interact with the children, telling them a story so that their therapy path becomes a game,” Silvio continues.

“When I create a work for a pediatric ward, I think of a vital aspect, which is how the doctor can win the child’s trust during their therapy. When this happens, an interaction is created with the surrounding environment and the child listens more confidently to the doctor’s treatment instructions, which sends a message of tranquility to the parents as well.”

The murals, he says, tap deeply into a child’s imagination as well, transcending the reality of a 2D drawing. Silvio has heard children talking to the marine creatures depicted in the frescoes or giving them names.

“They are fully into this new world,” he says. “So, they create stories in their mind and this makes them feel really good.”

At Ospedale Ruggi d’Aragona di Salerno, for example, the Versa HD bunker, the control room, walls and rooms throughout the department are decorated with whimsical marine animals that radiotherapy staff can show children and tell them a story.

“They tell a child that he or she is captain of the ship and that, although they have to embark on a difficult situation, they can make it because they’ve got so many friends around them,” Silvio explains.

The parents of children receiving radiotherapy have been enthralled by Silvio’s artwork and have made their opinions clear on Ospedali Dipinti’s Facebook page. Here is a sampling (translated from Italian):

“My son is one of them [patient]. A year ago, he had to face 28 radiation sessions, the first session done under anesthesia. Later, thanks to the beautiful scenery that surrounded him, he managed to do them while conscious, at only four-years-old….Thanks!!!”

“Beautiful fairy tales are not only those we read in books, there are others, I still think beautiful, that invite us to reflect and to become aware that often even in arid, burnt fields, flowers can grow…And there are flowers, there are children who smile…Silvio Irilli, how wonderful your fairy tales.”

“Seeing a child smile…With eyes full of wonder and amazement, traveling in this colorful and fantastic world, this once you have painted, is the most appropriate therapy. A huge applause Silvio Irilli.”

Spurring the imagination is for adults too, he adds, which is the inspiration for works at Ospedale Policlinico Gemelli. The paintings showcase Villa Adriana and The Colosseum.

“Scenes of ancient Rome, rich in history, can really transport the patient back in time and make them think about how life used to be millennia ago,” Silvio says. “It’s a way to bring adult patients into another dimension, rather than dwelling on their reason for being there.”

One such adult commented on Silvio’s Facebook page (translated from Italian): “I still remember as if it were today…radiotherapy for 3 months for a malign tumor. This ‘bunker,’ [Gemelli Art] decorated like Villa Adriana, it has given me hope for life. Colors do help the spirit.”

Picking up the pace

From 2011 to 2020, Silvio has created single or multiple murals for at least one hospital every year and the industrious painter’s workload is only gaining steam. In 2021 alone, he provided artwork for clinical departments at seven medical centers, the result of prodigious word-of-mouth as well as traditional and social media.

“These projects sell themselves because hospital staff know that the murals ease patients’ anxiety.”

“I’m not going on vacation this year, because I’ve got deadlines in September and October for two important projects,” he says. “These projects sell themselves because hospital staff know that the murals ease patients’ anxiety. Secondly, during the pandemic, the hospital wasn’t a happy place to visit. Making radiotherapy departments, at least, more beautiful places is a way to repair a hospital’s reputation.

“Third,” Silvio continues, “these projects are popular because it’s not just me making them happen. Yes, as the artist I create the murals, but I’m supported by so many people – sponsors, agencies, Ospedali Dipinti assistants and many others. In addition, funding from organizations such as Onlus and non-profit foundations helps avoid public spending. I put my signature on all Ospedali Dipinti works, but the signature really represents a team effort.”