Castellani - Untitled

The work draws on an Informal aesthetic language. The devastation wrought by World War II left a profound mark on Western civilization, which in the visual arts also resulted in an inability to communicate. For some artists, this challenge led to a complete rejection of any visual language, resulting in the birth of Informal Art. The various Informal movements are certainly connected to American Abstract Expressionism, especially with regard to the gestural component, but they go further in their rejection of any figurative element, even geometric. Their research focuses instead on the material from which their works are composed.

This work is part of a series of drawings in which Enrico Castellani demonstrates his adherence to an informal aesthetic. Using a synthetic, two-tone medium, the artist creates complex compositions. This variety and complexity can be found in the way Castellani modulates the solids and voids of the drawing, seeking balance and harmony even within a gestural execution. These solids and voids correspond to the juxtaposition of a convoluted, nervous graphic line with areas where the black color spreads in sinuous patches.

Enrico Castellani was born in Castelmassa in 1930 and passed away in Celleno in 2017. He studied in Belgium at the École Nationale Supérieure. In 1957, he settled in Milan, where he began collaborating with Piero Manzoni. After his initial experiences in the field of Informal Art with Manzoni, he founded the magazine Azimuth, which advocated a radical rethinking of art. For Castellani and Bonalumi, this rethinking would lead to the extroversion of their canvases. Among his most notable exhibitions were his participation in the Venice Biennale in 1964, 1966, 1984, and 2003. In 1965, he participated in the group show "The Responsive Eye" at the MoMA in New York and in the 8th São Paulo Biennial in Brazil. In 1970, he took part in the group show "Vitality of the Negative in Italian Art," curated by Achille Bonito Oliva, at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome. In 1981 he participated in "Identité Italien. L'art en Italie depuis 1959", curated by Germano Celant, at the Center Pompidou in Paris.

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