Lucio Fontana, 1899-1968

By Alice Lindman

Concetto spaziale, Attese, from the Concetto spaziale series, 1966, waterpaint on canvas

We often value a work of art based on its compositional and visual complexity, and so when gazing upon the work of Lucio Fontana, the term “I could have done that” is an all too frequent utterance. Yet true art enthusiasts understand that the value of an artwork does not lie solely in its execution, but also in its metaphorical and symbolic meanings. 

Born to Italian parents in Rosario de Santa Fé, Argentina, in 1899, Fontana commenced his artistic career as an apprentice sculptor in his father’s studio before setting off on his own. Balancing his career between Argentina and Italy and studying at the Accademia di Brera under Adolfo Wildt, Fontana began exhibiting his works at the Milanese gallery, Il Milione. War-ravaged Europe eventually forced him to flee the continent, whereupon his arrival in Argentina the artist founded the Altamira Academy; it was here that the first ideas of spatialism originated, a concept expressed through his essay, Manifesto Blanco. The group stated that ‘Matter, colour, and sound in motion are the phenomena whose simultaneous development makes up the new art,’ a proposition which declares that artwork should expand into the fourth dimension through a synthesis of all the senses. Spatialism transformed art into an instrument of research, pushing art beyond the boundaries of aestheticism, with Fontana himself insisting “I do not want to make a painting; I want to open up space, create a new dimension, tie in the cosmos, as it endlessly expands beyond the confining plane of the picture.” 

Fontana did not take to the canvas until the age of fifty, but it would prove an artistic direction that would alter the trajectory of his career forever. It was this era that catapulted the artist into the international sphere of fame, the period characterised by his Concetto spaziale (‘spatial concept’) series (1958-68). His signature style was characterised by layered monochromatic canvases scattered with holes and lacerations which penetrated beyond the artwork’s surface area in an exposing gesture towards the new, dark dimension beyond. Fontana’s primary canvases of this period were littered with Buchi (‘holes’), which the artist created by stabbing the canvas with a sharp stake. These canvases carry an aura of violence which force the viewers’ uneasy eyes to search within the work to the void forming a third dimension, one in which an ambiguous force is lurking.

It is, however, his Tagli (‘cuts’) canvases that attained the most international recognition. To achieve the desired effect, Fontana would layer the canvas with monochromatic colours, and, before it dried, would slash the fabric. Later, he would give the cuts further shape by hand. The artist would finally apply black gauze to fill the space behind the laceration, implying an infinity of space. Fontana declared that his canvases would simultaneously “give the viewer the impression of spatial tranquillity, of cosmic rigor, and of infinite serenity.” The artist’s artistic capabilities become obvious through the precision of the incisions, which form a compositional harmony despite the surface violence. It is the gesture, though, rather than the results, which placed Fontana on the map; violations of traditional medium could easily be associated with global upheaval, placing the value of the artwork in the timely symbol it represents.

Spatialism followed Fontana to the end of his career, the artist dedicating the last years of his life to exhibiting his art in as many exhibitions that honoured him worldwide as possible. Right up to his death in 1968, Fontana never stopped probing the limits of his art, experimenting with dissolving the distinctions of form and surrounding space until the very end.

Bibliography  

“Collecting Guide: Lucio Fontana”. Christie’s. Published 2023. https://www.christies.com/en/stories/lucio-fontana-artist-guide-3265b5c7c6db4d1aa53842c532c8dc58.

Hencz, A. “Lucio Fontana: The Slashes on Canvas that Redefined How Art is Created”. Artland Magazine. Published 2021.

“Lucio Fontana Biography”. Casati Gallery. Published 2020. https://www.casatigallery.com/artists/lucio-fontana/.