Endless Vistas

Endless Vistas

Revisiting the work of Italian artist Ettore Spalletti (b.1940), Marian Goodman Gallery, Paris, presents Ce qu’il y a de plus profond dans l’homme, c’est la peau (What is the most profound in a man, is the skin), an examination of the painter’s highly conceptual interpretation of form and being. Highlighting both the gallery space and topographical features which inspire the artist, painted squares of flat, gradient colour seemingly evolve, morphing from frozen studies to extended sculptures.

Spalletti’s pastel works defy physical borders, motioning away from both the frame they are found within, and the architecture they are placed inside. This limitless output reflects the subject matter, as the horizontal lines of Paesaggio echo the serene Adriatic Coast which the artist is highly inspired by. The piece not only marks the countless possibilities of the painting’s surface, but also echoes the ceaseless, unbroken notion of time.

The process of revealing images, concerns a rigid, obsessive practice as the painter applies layer upon layer of paint at the same time of day, capturing a specific quality which reflects the ongoing progression of nature: the seasons, the weather and the amount of light available. The build-up is slowly removed, revealing what lies beneath and once again expressing a reminiscence of the artist’s other concerns as the work conveys the infinite range of textures and tones

Marian Goodman Gallery, Paris and at the Librairie Marian Goodman, 66 rue du Temple, 20 April – 26 May. Find out more here.

Credits:
1. Salle des Fêtes, exhibition view, Musée d’art moderne et contemporain, Strasbourg, France, 1999. Photo credits: Attilio Maranzano.