The cut was a philosophical and creative gesture rather than a destructive one: in cutting the canvas, Fontana transcended centuries of art history related to the picture plane to reveal the infinity of space beyond, in which he saw the limitless future of humanity in the ' space age. “Having first pierced the canvas with buchi (holes) in 1954, Fontana spent a few years experimenting with surface ornamentation including glass shards, impasto paint and glitter before arriving at the serenity of monochrome cuts, which form the refined pinnacle of his adventurous and ever-evolving formal vocabulary.
This alluring white surface valued at £2.000.000 – £3.000.000 (USD 2.650.000 – USD 3.975.000) engraved with a quartet of vertical etchings, the current work is among the most imaginative early examples within the series. The cuts alternate in a paired dance between longer and shorter lengths, enlivened by their lithe, lithe movement. This ballistic, almost calligraphic arrangement is distinguished by its powerful rhythmic character, exemplifying the drama and elegance with which Fontana deployed his conceptual innovation.
Although he experimented with a wide range of tones in his works, white was Fontana's favorite color for haircuts. Towards the end of his life, he was awarded the Grand Prix at the 1966 Venice Biennale for an installation of twenty blank canvases powerful in their simplicity, each of which featured a single vertical incision at its centre. Creating a stark, pristine contrast to the abysmal darkness of his cuts, white also represented for Fontana a “ground zero” that could open up previously unimaginable post-war freedoms, ideas and potential. Works like the present, their cut surfaces open up the fourth dimension in spiritual union with astronauts who are taking bold new steps into space, they offer an optimistic view of man's potential in the infinite infinity of the universe.
“When I sit down to contemplate one of my cuts, I immediately feel a broadening of spirit,” Fontana said. “I feel like a man freed from the chains of matter, a man with the immensity of the present and the future” (L. Fontana, quoted in LM Barbero, “Lucio Fontana: Venice / New York” in Lucio Fontana: Venice / New York , ex Cat. Guggenheim Museum, New York 2006, 23).
Cover artwork:
LUCIO FONTANA (1899-1968)
Spatial concept, Expectations
signed, titled and inscribed 'l. Fountain “Spatial concept” “Attese” 1 + 1-XYZZA '(on the back)
watercolors on canvas (89,5 x 116,5 cm.)
Executed in 1960
