Superficie III 1995

Enrico Castellani made this print titled 'Superficie III', which translates to 'Surface III', sometime in his career. Castellani belonged to a generation of Italian artists, who, beginning in the 1950s, sought a radical break with the recent past. This was a period of rebuilding and reinvention for Italy, as it attempted to come to terms with its role in the Second World War. Castellani's response was to rethink the very nature of painting itself. Look closely, and you'll notice that this isn't just a flat surface, but a canvas that has been manipulated to create a play of light and shadow. This interest in materiality and surface is the artist's way of questioning what a painting can be. He is actively pushing against the traditions of painting, inviting us to reconsider our assumptions about art and its role in society. To understand Castellani’s work, we need to look at the cultural and historical context in which it was made, consulting exhibition catalogs and critical essays to get at the heart of his artistic project.