The work “Untitled” by Mario Schifano is an emblematic example of the artist’s constant experimental research and his ability to combine painterly gesture with conceptual language. Executed on canvas in mixed media, the composition presents four small panels that appear as fragments of landscape, suggested through vibrant touches of colour. Warm shades of orange and red, combined with nuances of blue and green, evoke a vision suspended between abstraction and figuration.
A central figure of the School of Piazza del Popolo, Mario Schifano was one of the leading protagonists of the Italian neo-avant-garde in the second half of the twentieth century. His art emerged from the desire to reinterpret painting in the age of mass media, restoring an emotional and poetic role to the manual gesture. In this work, the artist reflects on the memory of the image: the landscape, reduced to a few essential signs, becomes a visual echo, a recollection of nature filtered through the mind and through the materiality of paint.
Furthermore, the rarefied spatiality and the broad empty areas of the canvas amplify the sense of silence and suspension. The light, almost watercolour-like brushstrokes suggest movement and light, while the four-part structure imposes a visual rhythm that invites the viewer to engage in a contemplative and personal reading.
Mario Schifano, with “Untitled” shows a perfect example of his artistic vision. A painting that, despite its apparent simplicity, contains a profound reflection on painting, perception, and memory.
Description: Enamel on canvas, signed centre right; on the reverse bearing the stamp “SM A973” and illegible signatures, H cm 100×70.
Notes: The work is currently being archived by the Archivio Mario Schifano under the supervision of Monica Schifano, Rome.
Provenance: private collection, Bologna.
Hammer Price: € 13.125,00
Auction 83 – May 7th 2025 – Modern and Contemporary Art
All works by Mario Schifano presented at auction
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