Alberto Burri and His Contributions to the Italian Field of Art - Article Example

Name p. 1 Italian Artist – Alberto Burri Name: Subject: Instructor: Date: Name p. 2 Introduction The magic of Italy lies in its art and culture and it is one country that never fails to encourage it as well as flaunt it. Italy, with its scenic beauty and sensorial attractions always leaves the person with a sense of awe and wonder. The artistic treasures of Italy have been greatly influenced by various European regions and famous artists through the ages and continued to flourish during the period of Italian Renaissance, when great artists like Michelangelo (1475 – 1564), Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1520) and Raphael (1483 – 1520) influenced the art scene to a great extent. Italian art in the early 2000’s was said to be of “critical design’ that reflected ‘the events, happenings, writings, images and designs created in Italy in the period in question…” (Penny Sparke, 1965 – 1985, p. 60) Gradually, when the radical design period waned away due to inadequacy for social change, a new wave called the “The New Domestic Landscape” followed and in 1967 the Gruppo 9999 was established by four Florentine architects and the chief idea behind the concept was to “bring man back into relation with nature, even in this modern and hectic life.” (Gruppo 9999, p. 276) There is no doubt what- so- ever, that Italy is a paradise on Earth for art lovers around the globe because of its exceptional collection of art work that is so attractive and pleasing to the senses. In this paper, we are going to discuss one such Italian artist named Alberto Burri and his contributions to the Italian field of art. Name p. 3 Early Life of Artist Alberto Burri Alberto Burri, (1915 – 1995) an Italian artist was born in a place called Citta di Castello but grew up in Central Italy in a place called Umbria. (Souren Melikian (2012) He was quite unlike the other artists of his time because he did not stick to the traditional way of presenting his art work but was always adventurous in experimenting with different styles and materials around him. Alberto Burri, the artist was a certified physician with a medical degree that he earned in 1940 and served as a surgeon during the World War II, but later, in 1943 he was captured by Allied troops and he was taken as prisoner of war and placed in a camp in Hereford, Texas. (Mitchell – Innes & Nash, 2012) It was during the time of his internment in the prisoner of war camps in 1944, that he began a career in painting making use of empty mail sacks and burlap bags as canvases for his art work. However, in 1945, Burri was released from the prison camp and hence settled in Rome where he continued his painting career, as a full time artist. (Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2010) A lot of his art work reflects his experiences as a doctor in the Italian army and his different art works are grouped into a series according to the materials he used. For example, he splattered red paint on rags to make it appear like blood soaked bandages. The crude materials such as rags, wood, polythene and metal that he made use of, drastically contrasted with the stylistic elegance of his designs. His very Name p. 4 first solo exhibition took place in Rome at the Galleria la Margherita and from then on there was no turning back because his art works were exhibited all over U.S and Europe and at very prestigious venues such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and even at the Museum of Modern Art and other venues. (Mitchell – Innes & Nash, 2012) Alberto Burri’s Art work over the Ages Alberto Burri’s art work was unlike the regular artists of his time. He made use of his skills of a soldier as well as a surgeon. He was greatly influenced by the horrors of war and hence his early paintings comprised of images of ghastly wounds and putrefying flesh. The materials used for these images were burlap and sack pieces, metal and wood and his compositions were splattered with red paint, black oil, highlighted with touches of white and yellow. (Souren Melikian (2012) He made use of complex color schemes such as grays, darkish blues and browns. Though they appeared very literal, yet they had a poetic touch that projected the suffering. Image from www.miandn.com Name p. 5 During the 1950’s Burri began using metal along with burlap, wood and paint. (Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2010) He used to mutilate the metal in the same manner as he did other materials he worked with and sometimes corroded or oxidized it to bring out a certain effect. He also began burning certain materials such as canvas and plastic and termed this particular technique as combustion, i.e. ‘combustione sacco (1956) combustion of sack- cloth and ‘combustione plastica (1958) combustion of plastic, which brought out different effects. These collages were a sort of statement he made with regard to modern industrialization. (Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2010) During the 1960’s his art had evolved and he began using “plastiche”. Over his canvas, he would stretch sheets of transparent plastic and then char, slash, shrivel or perforate them for the effect he had in mind. The collages would have scar-like borders with wide craters that revealed the painted canvas underneath. The artist progressed to create ‘cracked paintings’ during the 1970’s where most of his art pieces took on the look of parched earthlike surfaces. Later on during the 70’s he made use of another industrial material called ‘Cellotex’ and he continued to use this material all through the 1980’s and 1990’s. Cellotex was a compound that became his preferred art medium and he utilized it to hold together various pigments and created variations with regard to texture and tone with the use of paint. Name p. 6 Image from www.artist.christies.com Alberto Burri played a very significant role as he was one of the early key figures during the ‘Art Informel’ and the ‘Arte Povera’ movements. (Germano Celant, 2008) Right from the period of the 1940’s and well into the 1980’s, the artist made use of unorthodox materials for his art works such as ceramic, burlap, sackcloth, tar, plastic, metal and paint. (Germano Celant, 2008) The prime concept or idea behind the ‘Art Informel’ movement was to experience the art on canvas as a complete encounter with reality. This concept does not portray or project any particular form or image but is expressed as a sort of gesture on the part of the artist to be immersed totally with the medium of the material that is being used with great emphasis on spontaneity. The ‘Art Informel’ concept was more about focusing on the literal and physical aspect of the art piece and was looked upon as a celebration of the material used Name p. 7 and its properties. It was quite unlike the form of ‘Abstract Expressionism’ where the concept was closely related to the artist’s psychology or the focus lay on the object as being transcendent or illusionary. The ‘Arte Povera’ movement occurred during the 1967 – 1972 period and Alberto Burri was very much part of this movement. ‘Arte Povera’ which simply meant ‘poor art’ belonged to the movement that centered around modern art which spread across places such as Italy, Rome, Venice and many others. (Germano Celant, 2008) During this time, attacks were made against various government institutions, on the culture that existed and the industry, by the artists of that time and Alberto Burri was one such artist who through his art work expressed strong feelings about the values, beliefs and customs that went against his sensibilities. Alberta Burri had experienced a very tough life and therefore most of his artworks are mirthless and devoid of happy feelings. A good example of his exposure to modern trends is his painting called “Fishing at Fano” where again he conveys dark and hard feelings, even while using bright colors. (Souren Melikian (2012) His anguish is well depicted in the eyes of the fish that he paints which almost has the stare of a human. By making good use of contrasting colours the artist was capable of giving his art piece a grim and formidable appearance. Name p. 8 Conclusion Alberto Burri was an artist with a difference considering the way he made use of ordinary day – to- day materials and limited colour schemes to give expression to his works of art. He gradually became one of the well known artists of his time and in 1959, the UNESCO awarded Burri the third prize at the Sao Paulo Biennale exhibition and in 1960 he was granted an exhibition during the 30th Venice Biennale. (Mitchell – Innes & Nash, 2012) His last major exhibition was held in 1994 at the Guggenheim Museum and a year later, he expired in Nice, France. References Burri Alberto, Facts – Biography. Web. Encyclopedia of World Biography, (2010) The Gale Group Inc. Article viewed on 13th. November, 2014, from: www.biography.yourdictionary.com/alberto-burri Germano Celant (2008) Alberto Burri. Publisher Mitchell – Innes & Nash. Pgs. 64 Gruppo 9999, in Ambasz, ed. Italy: The New Domestic Landscape, p. 276 Images for Alberto Burri. Web. Images accessed on 14th November, 2014, from: www.imagesofalbertoburri.com Mitchell – Innes & Nash (2012) Art Review– Artists/ Alberto Burri. Web. Viewed on 14th November, 2014, from: www.miandn.com/artists/alberto-burri/works/1/ Penny Sparke, (1965 - 1985) Made in Italy. Rethinking a Century of Italian Design, Edited by Grace Lees – Maffei and Kjetil Fallan, Bloomsbury, London. Souren Melikian (2012) The Painter Alberto Burri’s Mad Rush to Destruction. Article viewed on 13th November, 2014, from: www.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/arts/21iht-melikian21.html Read More