Art & Photography: Pittura Analitica, 1970s

Tuesday 24 May 2016

Pittura Analitica, 1970s - Mazzoleni

Paolo Cotani, Benda, 1975

Pittura Analitica. 1970s is at Mazzoleni until 23 July 2016.

I thought I knew all the C20 art movements but Pittura Analitica passed me by. In fact, this appears to be the first British showing of art associated with this 1970s Italian movement which sits somewhere between Arte Povera and Minimalism. (So, just my cup of tea!)

The movement is described by the gallery, as follows:

Closely aligned to other European movements such as the Supports/Surfaces group in France and the radical painting in Germany, as well as to the American Minimalists, the Pittura Analitica artists emerged in Italy in the 1970s, striving to redefine painting for the modern era and reclaim the form as a contemporary communicator.

These artists focused on the materiality of painting, championing everything from elastic bands to watercolours, paint rollers to weaving, cement to canvas. Their practices were united by a shared emphasis on the action of painting over the finished product. By extending the possibilities of the medium, the Pittura Analitica group aimed to reach an alternative understanding of space and create a new language, which would allow them to investigate what it means to paint.
The exhibition will show works by Carlo Battaglia (1933–2005), Enzo Cacciola (b. 1945), Vincenzo Cecchini (b. 1934), Paolo Cotani (1940–2011), Marco Gastini (b. 1938), Giorgio Griffa (b. 1936), Riccardo Guarneri (b. 1933), Elio Marchegiani (b. 1929), Paolo Masi (b. 1933), Carmengloria Morales (b. 1942), Claudio Olivieri (b. 1934), Pino Pinelli (b. 1938), Claudio Verna (b. 1937) and Gianfranco Zappettini (b. 1939) who together are generally considered to constitute the Pittura Analitica group.
(Click on images to enlarge.)