Untitled
<p>This work by Lucio Fontana articulates his interest in expanding the spatial boundaries of the two-dimensional picture surface. The torn and scratched paper suggests the violent acts found in Christian iconography, such as the Crucifixion. Such acts of aggression and self-laceration echo certain artistic trends, namely painterly abstraction, Dada, and Surrealism. Although the gouged paper speaks to the sculptural potential of the picture surface, the perforations can also be read as rhythmic patterns and as objects in space.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1959
- Dimensions
- Primary support: 50.4 × 60 cm (19 7/8 × 23 5/8 in.); Secondary support: 50.4 × 60.2 cm (19 7/8 × 23 3/4 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Artist
- Lucio Fontana
Artist
Painting
Lucio Fontana’s body of work has come to be regarded as a powerful precedent for numerous 20th-century movements, including environmental art, performance art and Arte Povera. Born in 1899 in Argentina, Fontana moved with his family to Milan, Italy, in 1905. Fontana initially studied sculpture with his father, Luigi, and later at the Accademia de Brera. His first solo exhibition was held at the Galleria Il Milione in Milan in 1930. Fontana would continue to champion abstract art in Italy and abroad for the rest of his career.
Rosario de Santa Fe, Argentina
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More by Lucio Fontana
Untitled
1968 · Lithograph and inkless intaglio
Portrait of Antonin Artaud
1968 · Multiple of wood and enamel with one copper die-cut plate, one steel die-cut plate, two plexiglass die-cut plates and one artist's book
Nude
1966 · Etching on white wove paper
Double page plate (pages 42 and 43) from L'albero poeta
1966 · Etching from an illustrated book with ten prints
Spatial Concept (Concetto spaziale)
1966 · Artist's book with gold paper leporello, punched with holes
Concetto Spaziale (Teatrino), plate 1, from the portfolio Quattro oggetti di Lucio Fontana e due poesie di Salvatore Quasimodo (Four Objects by Lucio Fontana and Two Poems by Salvatore Quasimodo)
1965 · One from a portfolio with four screenprint and die-cuts on aluminum foil
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Artist
- Lucio Fontana
- Year
- 1959
- Dimensions
- Primary support: 50.4 × 60 cm (19 7/8 × 23 5/8 in.); Secondary support: 50.4 × 60.2 cm (19 7/8 × 23 3/4 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1959-089839
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified