Quartetto indivisibile 1992

Ettore Spalletti made this work, titled Quartetto indivisibile, with paint on wood panels. These are traditional materials, but Spalletti’s particular use of them gives them an ethereal quality. Spalletti prepared his surfaces with meticulous care. The paint is applied in thin layers, almost like a fresco, resulting in subtle variations of color and texture. Look closely, and you’ll notice that the surfaces are not perfectly smooth but have a slightly granular feel. The effect is that of a carefully crafted object, bearing witness to its own making. Spalletti was deeply influenced by the landscape of his native Abruzzo, in Italy. The colours in his work are often those of the natural world – the grey of stone, the blue of the sky. His work occupies a space somewhere between painting and sculpture, craft and fine art. He asks us to consider how the making process itself can be a form of artistic expression.