Lot 235
  • 235

Enrico Castellani

Estimate
500,000 - 700,000 USD
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Description

  • Enrico Castellani
  • Superficie bianca 
  • signed, titled and dated 2008 on the overlap
  • acrylic on canvas
  • 59 by 78 3/4 in. 150 by 200 cm.

Provenance

Haunch of Venison, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2009

Exhibited

New York, Haunch of Venison, Enrico Castellani, May - June 2009, pl. D, illustrated in color

Condition

This work is in very good condition overall. There is very light evidence of handling along the edges and very minor hairline craquelure scattered throughout the top row of raised canvas. Under extreme raking light, a very unobtrusive and minor diagonal crease is visible in the lower left of the work. Under Ultraviolet inspection there is no evidence of restoration. Unframed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Enrico Castellani’s series of Superficie paintings, of which Superficie bianca is a consummate example, are some of the most iconic and influential Minimalist works of the 20th century. With its rhythmic pattern of sculptural peaks and monochrome painted surface, the work reflects the primary concerns of the ZERO group, a short-lived collective from the late 1950s and early 1960s, who sought to eliminate representational painting and discover a new creative language. Like his contemporaries, including Lucio Fontana and Otto Piene, Castellani’s approach was to alter the substrate, making the canvas itself the subject of the work. Using the most basic artistic materials – wood, nails, canvas, and paint – Castellani devised a new form of three-dimensional art, inhabiting the liminal space between painting and sculpture. In Superficie bianca, carefully arranged patterns of protrusions and depressions elegantly undulate across the pristine monochrome surface of the work. Castellani achieved this effect by stretching the canvas over a carefully positioned structure of nails, which results in the dynamic rippling waves of concavities and convexities that resonate beyond the surface of the work. With this technique, Castellani has transformed the pure white surface into a silent symphony of light and shadow. The matte, unbroken facade has a cool sensuality and tactility, while the delicate chiaroscuro created by the reliefs have a meditative and calming influence, all of which coalesce to communicate a pervading sense of harmony. In Superficie bianca, the asymmetric alignment seems to swirl outward from its center, disrupting expectations of order and rigidity.

Seeking an alternative to the expressive, gestural qualities of abstract painting and tachisme, Castellani strove to attain aesthetic purity through the complete negation of the hand. He believed that by removing the presence of his gesture, his work could attain a transcendental impersonality, referring only to itself and its own presence.  The artist achieved that aim in Superficie bianca, and the work takes on an aura all its own, becoming a participatory piece, shifting in form and mood through its interaction with light, space, and the vantage from which it is viewed.   

 



This work is registered in the archives of the Fondazione Enrico Castellani, Milan under the number 08-008.