“Concetto spaziale” emblematically synthesizes the research of Lucio Fontana, a fundamental twentieth-century artist and founder of Spatialism, a theoretical movement developed starting in 1947 with the aim of overcoming the traditional limits of painting. Born in Rosario di Santa Fé in 1899 and active mainly between Milan and Argentina, Fontana in fact developed a radical language, founded on the relationship between matter, gesture and real space.
In this colour silkscreen, the artist concentrates the composition on a large monochrome oval form crossed by a thin vertical cut. Although the mark appears essential, it represents one of the most revolutionary elements of twentieth-century art. In fact, Fontana’s famous “cut” should not be interpreted as a simple incision of the surface, but as a symbolic opening towards an infinite space beyond the painting.
Moreover, the uniform colour and the geometric purity of the form accentuate the tension between two-dimensionality and depth. The light, reflecting along the central cut, continuously modifies the perception of the work and makes the gesture even more dynamic. Precisely through this apparent simplicity, Fontana manages to transform the surface into a mental and spatial place.
The artist’s graphic production plays an important role in the international diffusion of his poetics. Even in the silkscreens, in fact, the conceptual strength of the famous “Concetto spaziale” remains intact. For this reason, the work represents a rigorous and extremely recognizable synthesis of his artistic research, still today central to the history of contemporary art.
Description: Colour silkscreen on paper, signed in pencil lower right L Fontana, edition number lower left 52/100, H cm 70×50.
Hammer Price: € 4.960,00
Auction 51 – 12 April 2022 – Modern and Contemporary Art, Graphics and Multiples
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