Inseparabili Dittico 2002

Ettore Spalletti made this diptych, ‘Inseparabili Dittico’, with paint, probably oil. It’s a way of working that’s about slow time, about a build-up of atmosphere through surface. Look at that surface, the way the colour seems to emerge from it, not just sit on top. The paint isn't just blue or grey, it's more like a mist or fog that's been given a shape. You can feel the presence of the hand in the subtle variations of tone. See how the two panels meet in the middle with that vertical line? This creates a play of sameness and difference, almost like two entities in a relationship. Spalletti’s work is like Agnes Martin’s in that way, but maybe with a more Italian sense of light and space. It is less about pure abstraction and more about feeling. Neither one is better than the other. In the end, it’s always a question of what makes you feel.