Base di color 1991

Ettore Spalletti made this piece, Base di colore, though I don’t know exactly when or with what, but it’s all about colour as a base, a foundation, something solid. The colour he’s using here is like the perfect sky blue, applied so smoothly it's almost unreal, like it’s been photoshopped. But this is all about the real, the tangible, the material. The blue sits atop a kind of plinth, rough and chalky, creating a fascinating tension between the ethereal and the grounded. I love how Spalletti embraces the physical properties of his materials, allowing the texture and surface to speak as loudly as the colour itself. There’s a quietness to this work, a stillness that reminds me a little of Agnes Martin, a similar sensibility. In both cases, it’s a kind of abstract painting that flirts with sculpture and with architecture, and it’s all about opening up space, a space for contemplation.