Expectations are high for Greta Gerwig's Barbie: starring Margot Robbie, the film, among the most anticipated movies of 2023, has already unleashed a new Barbiecore revival in fashion, that translates in garments and accessories in fifty shades of pink, a colour that has always been in fashion where it has been employed decade after decade for cute designs, but also for functional, architectural or sculpturally glamorous pieces. Film fans will remember that the shade has been employed for striking film sets and movie posters.
Defined by some as a rock'n'roll or punk colour, pink has often been considered as the new black, even though, in some cases it was employed as a threatening shade or an indomitable shade. But the color pink, with its versatile nature, also offers a rich tapestry of symbolisms and meanings to contemplate.
Sotheby's has currently got a pink Lucio Fontana slashed painting in the "Face to Face: A Celebration of Portraiture" auction (London, 27th June). The pink "Concetto spaziale, Attese" (1960) stands as a remarkable representation of Fontana's renowned tagli (slashes) series.
For the tagli series, Fontana first saturated his canvases with emulsion paint and allowed them to dry. He then pierced the surface with a Stanley Knife, gently opening the cuts with the blade's edge and inserting his fingers in each perforation to widen the slits, allowing the incised canvas to curl inwards. Finally, the artist would apply black gauze to the reverse of his ruptured canvas in order to accentuate an impression of endless depth. In this way, Fontana introduced three-dimensionality to the traditionally flat canvas surface but also ruptured the picture plane, revealing an enigmatic black void beyond.
This rupture invited a metaphysical conversation with the fourth dimension, encompassing both time and space. Fontana's defined slashes encapsulate his fascination with the unknowable void and the concept of energy as an invisible force. The slashes allowed him to give the spectator an impression of spatial calm, of cosmic rigour, of serenity in infinity.
The pink "Concetto spaziale, Attese" showcases Fontana's venture into larger dimensions (it measures over eighty centimetres in height and one metre in width), but also presents a distinctive composition divided in two sections: one with six cuts and the other with seven. Occupying separate quadrants on the expansive canvas, these sections, totaling thirteen cuts in all, punctuate the space with deep black voids, enhancing the soft vitality of the rose hue. The rhythmic intervals of these captivating slashes transport viewers into a dynamic and sculptural realm, embodying Fontana's intent to evoke a sense of spatial calm, cosmic rigour, and serenity within infinity.
The thirteen slender slashes on "Concetto spaziale, Attese" bear witness to Fontana's controlled yet performative approach. The exceptional configuration and number of slashes in this particular artwork contribute to its highly unique compositional balance, blurring the boundaries between painting and sculpture, and between two and three dimensions.
The blushing expanse of "Concetto spaziale, Attese" captivates the viewer, evoking various associations such as the glimmers between parted lips, surgical incisions, or the gaps between theater curtains.
In the vibrant tapestry of our troubled times, Lucio Fontana's slashed canvas emerges as a potent metaphor, resonating with profound significance. This canvas executed in bubblegum pink, effortlessly captures the essence of our era - an amalgamation of punk spirit, whimsical allure, and resplendent beauty.
At first glance, it exudes an aura of playful enchantment, captivating our attention and weaving a narrative of perpetual happiness and bliss, like the eternal charm of Barbie pink. Yet, beneath its superficial façade, the canvas bears witness to something far more profound - an unsettling duality that mirrors the historical, political, and social instability that envelops us. Almost violent in their execution, the slashes upon the canvas look like jagged wounds upon the fabric of our existence. They embody the exhilaration, excitement, fears and anxieties that accompany our turbulent times, reflecting a pervasive sense of fatalistic hopelessness that revolves around the perceived impossibility of everyday life. They remind us that, behind the façade of perpetual joy, a tumultuous undercurrent swirls - a reflection of the uncertainties and instabilities that shape our world.
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