“Whale Project” by Pino Pascali is a significant testimony to the most mature and conceptual phase of the artist’s research. Executed in mixed media on cyanotype paper, the work is conceived as a preparatory project intended for three-dimensional realisation, a practice that lay at the heart of Pascali’s artistic vision.
From a compositional perspective, the surface is occupied by modular shapes and simplified profiles arranged according to a sequential logic. These elements clearly allude to the anatomical decomposition of the marine animal, interpreted not in naturalistic terms but as a structural and symbolic form. Furthermore, the use of cyanotype gives the work a technical and project-oriented character, bringing the drawing closer to the language of engineering and architecture.
Pino Pascali, one of the leading figures associated with Arte Povera, frequently explored the relationship between fiction, nature, and artifice. Consequently, the “Whale” is conceived not as a simple representation but as a mental construction, poised between irony and critical reflection. At the same time, the use of elementary materials and simplified forms anticipates many of his celebrated environmental works.
Description: Mixed media on cyanotype paper, signed and dated lower left, H cm 120×95.
Notes: Work accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Studio Casoli, Milan, signed by Sergio Casoli. The work reproduces the project “Whale”, as stated in the certificate issued by Studio Casoli, Milan.
Publication: Published in Pino Pascali, edited by A. D’Elia, 1983.
Provenance: Private Collection, Bologna; Studio Casoli, Milan.
Hammer Price: € 10.625,00
Auction 65 – December 6th 2023 – Contemporary Art – Design
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