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Agostino Bonalumi
At opening in 1965 (Agostino in center)
Grigio Painting 1965
Agostion Bonalumi
1965 Essay
One of the aspects among many of the present moments is the growing tendency to create forms of "Object Painting", that is, a painting, which, while conserving the characteristic autonomy of the creative unity of the Artisan, also has, or intentionally prefixes, the object of reresenting, above all its own self and not something extraneous to itself.
Thus a painting, which is "self-iconic" as opposed to "heteroiconic" which objectually represents the transposition of an idea instead of constituting the representation of the exteral reality, that is by assuming "ipso facto" such a reality in its most modest and common appearance.
Amoung the artists who, during the last few years who have felt the urgency of this particular aspect of painting, Bonaumi is to be considered a case somewhat apart and, in a certain sense, exemplary. Having abandone, ever since his first tentatave autonomous attempts, every figurative representation of the outside world, Bonalumi began his first creative season (1958-1959) with some curious compositions, which, already, for that time, were decisevely "Objectual" and which never the less encompassed elements to form strange and often tasteful trophies of found objects. This was a brief period of ready made hybrids partly intended to evoke memories and partly as autonomous construction.
However, at a later date, he began to abandon those first uncertin and subestiantally romantic attempts to develop a series of works where the painted canvas was utilized to achieve certain effects of relief and extroflexion by means of a clever "stuffing". Such a method quickly resulted to prove rather convincing. Soon the artist was able to detach himself completely from the other examples, and go on to create a vast assortment of "objects" mostly based on rectangular of square frames where the extroflexions took on, more and more, the aspects of protuberances, at the same time organic and geometric, retaining, that is, even in the precisensess of their contours and rigorous linearity of the composition, an unequivocal organic quality.
The reliefs confer upon the paintings an ever increasing aspect of a self sufficient and highly "decorative" element whose characteristcs, both chromatic and plastic, assume a particular intensity.
We do not know to which subsequent experiences Bonalumi work will go onto, nor whether his work can arrive at great openings towards architectural or plastic developments, certainly, even at this phase, this work seems to constitute a significant example of all forms: anecdoctic, atmospheric, naturalistic found in contemporary painting, and at the same time, an affirmation of the importance of offering to humanity, now and for always, an aspect, not only utilitarian or industrialized, of the artists' creative will.
written by Gillo Dorfles
Translated by Mark Spangler in 1965 ( from Galleria Schwarz catalog Milan)
(Art Minimal editors note: all spelling and grammer errors have been left in, essay appears as in catalog, although edited)