In Hermitage exhibition is one of the flows of Italian art in the second half of XX century - Spatialism

in the State Hermitage Museum opened the exhibition «Spazialismo. Ricardo Licata and Venetian painting the end of XX century ", dedicated to one of the trends of Italian art in the second half of the XX century - Spatialism.

Italian movement Spatialism (from Italian. Spazio - Space) - the direction in art that anticipates the painting and sculpture as an art form that combines color, sound, space, motion and time. Its appearance is primarily associated with the name of Lucio Fontana (1899-1968), a native of Argentina who moved in 1947 in Paris.

Fontana called for art, which was to cover modern science and technology; in his works he used materials such as neon lights, radio and television. Thus, in 1949, Fontana has shown its "spatial environment» (Ambiente Spaziale), performed phosphoric paint and illuminated by neon lights. This work was the first example of what later became known as installation art. Later, Fontana was doing work on the canvas, which he gave the general name Concetto Spaziale ( «spatial concept"), while at the same time to do the installation using light. The reason "Spatial Concept" was cut the canvas with a razor, to create the actual three-dimensional spatial dimension. In the 1950 Fontana created a number of similar works, developed the idea of sculpture, interpreting it in its "spatial concepts».

At the exhibition in the Twelve of the State Hermitage Museum presents about 80 works of artists spatsialistov, among which, in addition to Lucio Fontana: Edmondo Bacci (Edmondo Bacci), Mario Deluidzhi (Mario Deluigi), Ennio Finzi (Ennio Finzi), Luciano Gaspari (Luciano Gaspari), Bruna Gasparini (Bruna Gasparini) Gyudi Virgilio (Virgilio Guidi), Gino Morandis (Gino Morandis), Saverio Rampin (Saverio Rampin), Tancredi (Tancredi), Vinichchio Vianello (Vinicio Vianello). Most of the exhibition includes works by Riccardo Licata.

In the works of Italian artist Riccardo Licata, first exhibited at the Hermitage, embodies a rich traditional culture of the Mediterranean sun open bright color, the graphical expressiveness of the neighbors of the symbolic abstract forms, resembling the ancient writings.

motifs of ancient and Byzantine art are connected with the ornament of the Nordic countries. Referring to the legacy of the past, the artist works, building aesthetics and style of abstract expressionism, won the Western art scene in Italy in the postwar years.

Riccardo Licata was born in Turin on December 20, 1929. Soon his family moved to Rome, where they lived until the end of the Second World War, after which settled in Venice. In 1947, Licata admitted to the Art Lyceum, began studying the culture of Bauhaus and carried away with mosaics. In 1950 he joined the Venetian Academy of Arts.

Licata started exhibiting in 1949, when Venice was an exhibition of young abstract artists. First personal exhibition Riccardo Licata held in Venice in 1951. Since 1952 he has repeatedly participated in biennials in Venice, Sao Paulo, Tokyo, Paris, Ljubljana and other major international science fair of contemporary art. Since then, the artist took more than 300 solo exhibitions in 35 countries.

In 1957, a grant from the French government, Licata moved to Paris where he studied painting and engraving, mosaics, sculpture, scenography.

Licata was among 25 artists selected by an international expert committee for the implementation of large-scale project "Madonna in contemporary art. This exhibition was held in the Roman Pantheon and the European Parliament building in Brussels in 2003 and was dedicated to the 25-year anniversary of the pontificate of John Paul II.

Works Riccardo Licata kept in museums of modern art in Florence, Milan, Venice, Paris, New York, Chicago, Vienna, as well as in private collections. Currently the artist lives and works in Paris and Venice.

The exhibition is open until April 18, 2010.

Source: hermitagemuseum.org