The German philosopher Ernst Cassirer proclaimed that: “the symbol does not enfold the thought by accident, but it becomes its vital and essential body" […]. (1*) Balsamo provides a clear example of how "the thought becomes sign", a vivid attempt to explore Cassirer's theory. The sign in Balsamo reconciles reality with concept; the shapes that the thought turned into sign leaves on canvas gain positive energy from the spirit, establishing a language-code to be untangled in webs, plots, and mazes of black and white lines. This language becomes an expression, the fundamental principle manifesting itself in a form, in the symbol that lays its foundations. Similarly to Cassirer, in Balsamo the thought is defined by basic shapes: self, space, time, etc. It is a space-time epical and real that leaves its sign on canvas thanks to minute multi-chromatic and multi-tones touches, allowing everybody to know the meaning of self and the other, self and the world. Vincenzo Balsamo states: “…maybe I paint what we know to be existing, but we do not really see, in the form of synthesis and actual thought”. (2*) If the thought finds its energy and realization from and through the sign, the color in its tones needs to become one thing with the light. Balsamo states: “Light is life. I find always new and insightful stimuli from light and the luminescence is the access to my work through a complete participation”. (2*) The light is never predetermined, but it grows and permeates like energy the surface through color in its warm and cold tones. In the conceptual space of warm colors the uniform, spread and warm light-color rules, while in the space of intuition of cold tones the gleams of intense, bright and chromatic energy follow one another. It is an invitation from the artist to explore through his work the self in its complexity, with his ability to transfer concepts on canvas in spontaneous and intimate way.