ANTONIO CALDERARA | Spazio Luces N° 34

Galeria Arte Contacto, Caracas
Ivi acquistato dall'attuale proprietario

Ciudad Bolivar, Fundacion Soto, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Antonio Calderara. Giallo + Giallo, 1974

This work appears to be in generally good overall condition. There are two small retouchings visible under UV light towards the centre of the work, which correspond to two tiny patches on the reverse of the canvas. There is are a few other minor retouchings along the upper edge, towards the centre of the stretcher mark, towards the upper left corner and along the painted frame. There is a light stretcher mark to the centre of the painting.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Max Bill, Richard Paul Lohse lo considerano uno di loro. Le sue composizioni sono assimilabili a quelle di Josef Albers, con cui condivide l’attenzione per le proporzioni e la volontà di tradurre la luce attraverso il colore. La gamma cromatica, il gusto per le linee e i segmenti, ma anche una raffinatezza simile si ritrovano nei quadri di Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart. L’impiego delle griglie, le composizioni costruite su quadri concentrici, il colore e i contrasti che si dissolvono nello splendore del bianco appartengono anche all’opera di Aurélie Nemours. I quadri dalle infinite sfumature di bianco e di grigio chiaro che dipinge François Morellet in particolare nei primi anni Cinquanta, le composizioni dominate dal giallo nelle sue sottili variazioni, le sperimentazioni con il rosso, rendono evidente il legame tra i due artisti e l’amicizia che ne scaturirà. In breve tempo, nel corso degli anni Sessanta, Calderara, che fino ad allora era rimasto isolato, ha trovato una famiglia e all’interno di questa la sua opera acquisisce il ruolo che ricopre tutt’oggi.

Tutto d’un tratto, quante corrispondenze, quanti cambiamenti, quali prospettive! Calderara ha trovato il suo posto, eppure la sua voce è rimasta unica. Perché ha espresso un’atmosfera mutevole, una luce che uniforma tutto, ha rappresentato un ordine immutabile e pacato, su cui regna il silenzio. Se dovessimo stabilire un’ultima corrispondenza, sarebbe con la pittura di Vilhelm Hammershøi. Per la sua origine, fin dagli esordi e per l’intero suo percorso artistico, l’arte di Antonio Calderara ha saputo, pur procedendo verso l’astrazione, restare universale e continuare a tradurre il mondo.
Serge Lemoine, Spazio, luce. Silenzio, in “Calderara”  catalogo della mostra, Studio Gariboldi, Milano, gennaio-febbraio 2016 e M&L Fine Art, Londra, aprile-giugno 2016, pp. 19-23 Max Bill and Richard Paul Lohse saw him as one of their own. His compositions can also be compared to those by Josef Albers with whom he shared the same concern for proportion and a desire to translate light through colour. His colourful palette, his taste for lines and dashes, but also the same refinement can be found in paintings by Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart. The use of grids, compositions made up of concentric squares, the colour and contrasts that disappear into the brightness of the white is also found in the work of Aurelie Nemours. The works using minute nuances of white and light greys painted by François Morellet in particular during the early 1950s, his compositions where subtle variations of yellow dominate, his experimentations with red, served to create a link between the two artists as well as the friendship that would follow. Over a short period of time, during the 1960s, Calderara, who up until that time had remained virtually secluded, found a family at the heart of which his work took on all its true meaning.

In just one swoop, nothing but correspondences, changes and prospects: Calderara had found his place, but his song remained unique because he expresses a changing atmosphere, a light that balances everything out. He represented an immutable and peaceful order, where silence reigns. And if there was one final comparison to be made then it would be with the paintings of Vilhelm Hammershøi. Through its origins, from its beginnings and by its development, Antonio Calderara’s art has managed, whilst becoming more and more abstract, to remain universal and to continue translating the world.



Opera registrata presso l'Archivio Antonio Calderara, Milano, con il n. 0358
L'opera è accompagnata da certificato di autenticità rilasciato dall'Archivio Antonio Calderara, Milano