Superficie Argento 1973

Enrico Castellani made this, ah, "Silver Surface," and it's not paint, but a whole lot of methodical poking and prodding at the canvas. The surface is silver, of course, but it's really about how light bounces off these evenly-spaced bulges. You can almost feel the artist's hand pressing each of these mounds from behind. It's like some kind of weird, shimmering textile, but made of hard stuff. Look at how the shadows cast by each little bump form a sort of arch, rising up towards the center, it’s so precise, yet organic somehow. Like the landscape of the moon or something. It reminds me of those Fontana paintings with the slashes, but instead of cutting, Castellani is adding depth, creating a topography. It’s a conversation that’s still going on, this push and pull of surface and depth.