Superficie Argento 1973

Enrico Castellani made this silver surface, 'Superficie Argento,' with an almost obsessive dedication to the monochrome, but look closer… The painting's surface is far from flat, it’s alive! It has been pushed out and pulled in, creating a relief pattern of shadows and highlights that ripple across the surface, like moonlight dancing on the water. I can imagine Castellani carefully planning, measuring, and executing each precise intervention. What was he thinking as he methodically worked? Was he trying to break free from the confines of traditional painting? Trying to get at something beyond the image? I get the feeling that he was in a dialogue with the Minimalists, who were also exploring the boundaries of art, but Castellani brings a sensual, tactile quality to his work that sets him apart. It’s a reminder that art is not just about what we see, but how we experience it with our bodies.