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Lot Essay
This wonderful painting by Lucio Fontana embodies a particularly European style of post-war art.
Concetto spaziale is a natural progression from his Fine di Dio (The end of God) series of oval paintings executed between 1963 and 1964, here the oval or egg shape - a universal symbol of creation and regeneration - is simply delineated while the paint is still wet with the end of the brush. It is symbolic too that the punctured holes are arranged in a calm and orderly fashion within the oval shape - unlike the earlier works where the apertures were created more haphasardly with various degrees of enlargement.
As with his other series where he punctured the canvas, Fontana's holes are intended as metaphors for openings onto an infinite space which is beyond the intellectual capacity of man. As Fontana famously explained, his holes were not meant to be destructive and nihilistic but creative - a means to explore another dimension byond the painting.
Fontana was fascinated by the idea of infinity and space where the sense of measurement and time becomes meaningless. It is impossible to calculate the infinity of space and he wanted to convey this awesome thought in his art. The holes contrast strongly with the deep luscious and passionate red, appearing like little stars in space; integral to the beauty of this work.
More than a simple visual representation, this work can be read on a more intellectual level. It can prompt us, as the spectators, to think rather than to merely appreciate this work for its many aesthetic merits.
Concetto spaziale is a natural progression from his Fine di Dio (The end of God) series of oval paintings executed between 1963 and 1964, here the oval or egg shape - a universal symbol of creation and regeneration - is simply delineated while the paint is still wet with the end of the brush. It is symbolic too that the punctured holes are arranged in a calm and orderly fashion within the oval shape - unlike the earlier works where the apertures were created more haphasardly with various degrees of enlargement.
As with his other series where he punctured the canvas, Fontana's holes are intended as metaphors for openings onto an infinite space which is beyond the intellectual capacity of man. As Fontana famously explained, his holes were not meant to be destructive and nihilistic but creative - a means to explore another dimension byond the painting.
Fontana was fascinated by the idea of infinity and space where the sense of measurement and time becomes meaningless. It is impossible to calculate the infinity of space and he wanted to convey this awesome thought in his art. The holes contrast strongly with the deep luscious and passionate red, appearing like little stars in space; integral to the beauty of this work.
More than a simple visual representation, this work can be read on a more intellectual level. It can prompt us, as the spectators, to think rather than to merely appreciate this work for its many aesthetic merits.