Sackcloth 1953

Curator: It has such a raw, immediate impact, doesn’t it? The browns and tans layered with deliberate rents and tears... Editor: Yes, it’s a really evocative piece. This is "Sackcloth" created in 1953 by Alberto Burri. He was working in a postwar artistic climate looking to forge new languages and challenge traditional approaches to art. Curator: A language built on fragments, literally. He seems to embrace entropy and decay. Does the title explicitly relate to penitence or is it meant to suggest more broadly the material conditions of postwar Italy? Editor: That's a compelling question. On the surface, it could refer to mourning or destitution, or it might touch on the ways in which societal structures are often cobbled together from the remnants of what came before. Burri saw potential in the discarded. Curator: I find myself reflecting on the abject and how that intersects with issues of class. Using such a humble, worn material – is he creating a discourse around labor, poverty, or resilience? Does its creation and presentation in a gallery setting alter our reception of the artwork? Editor: The Art Informel movement which Burri was associated with aimed to reject geometric abstraction in favor of a more spontaneous, material-focused approach. Post-war, many artists wrestled with trauma and material scarcity which radically transformed how they understood painting and sculpture. He makes no attempt to beautify the material; rather he emphasizes its intrinsic qualities: texture, color, and the evidence of its past use. It invites viewers to grapple with challenging issues. Curator: He invites an intimate connection with suffering, forcing the viewer to confront difficult historical realities, particularly for those on the margins. There's an uncomfortable beauty in its fragility and rawness that remains potent. Editor: Precisely. Burri challenges our expectations about beauty, reminding us that art can be found even in the most unlikely places, encouraging a deeper awareness of history, the environment, and the world around us.